FOREST GUARDS ON THE EDGE
Most Wildlife enthusiasts are aware of the beauty of the forests & wilderness. The excitement that the wildlife offers is second to none as being in the lap of wilderness with the added adventure of facing the denizens of the forest eye to eye is an experience to cherish, enjoy and learn. On the other hand, there are countless contributions behind the scenes by the authorities and the employees of these designated sanctuaries, reserves and National parks that make these memorable experiences exciting and unforgettable. Innumerable contributions, sacrifices and dangerous executions by the Forest Department staff are the single largest reason for creating these memorable experiences cherished by the wildlife enthusiasts, photographers, tourists and visitors alike.
Here I pen a real-life experience that I witnessed
at Corbett National Park in 2014 when I led a group of wildlife enthusiasts
from Ahmedabad. I had booked two separate forest rest houses in two different
zones, each for a night to stay in and acquit the group with the enticing,
peaceful and breathtaking beauty of the core forest in the dark hours of night.
This stay at the first forest rest house proved to be an eye-opening experience
of the unimaginable dangers that the forest staff face day in and day out as
they execute their duties.
Following our Jungle safari that evening,
we retired to the forest house. Post dinner we engaged ourselves in a long experience
sharing session around the bonfire and some welcomed tea in the chilly February
night. It was about 10.30 pm late in the evening when we invited this friendly Kumauni
Forest guard serving on night duty over a cup of warm tea and share some thrilling
experiences with us.
Before I proceed, allow me to share that alike
any other Government department, it is obvious that lower the hierarchal
designation higher is the difficulty level of execution and more so with the
Forest Department where the execution of the duty is both risky and life
threatening. Therefore, inevitably I am compelled to share some duties of the ‘Forest
Guards’ which will help you in evaluating the difficult errands that they are expected
to execute.
1
To safeguard the forests against any dangers, harms,
or unlawful activity.
2
In his/her beat or charge, to protect forest produce
and wildlife.
3
Patrolling in the forest.
4
Forest boundaries to be repaired and maintained.
5
Identify and report any forest violations.
6
Finding the perpetrators of the atrocities committed
in the woods.
7
Contribute in various forestry operations that are
carried out.
8
Assist the round cops or the Forester.
To continue, as we were busy listening to some
intriguing encounters of the forest guard in the wild, a staff member from the
radio control room located on the fringe of the forest house approached us at a
fast pace and broke the news to the forest guard that he needs to rush back home
to attend to his teenage daughter who had been sick for a while and has
suffered a severe fit attack which has left her lying unconscious at home and
that his family needs him at home. In a flash, the forest guard was up on his
feet and accompanying the wireless staff member he rushed to the control room
to seek leave. Concerned, we all walked across the open ground towards the
control room and learned that the forest guard was granted a leave.
I learnt from the forest guard that his house was in a
small village on the fringes of the forest which was at a distance of 14
kilometers if he took the beaten track route. But I was shocked when I was told
that neither was there a vehicle to drop him nor was there any other person who
would accompany him. Being concerned when I asked him how would he manage getting
home, he informed me that he has decided to take a short cut and walk radially
straight which would reduce the distance to 8 kilometers, walking through open
grounds, dense outgrowth, under the canopy of tall conifer trees, fording through
shallow rivers and rivulets, climbing up and down the precipitous hill slopes, jumping
over and passing under the rocky boulders and all this at midnight, in the
freezing February night at Corbett National Park and that too through the forest infested with the
likes of wild Tigers, Elephants, Leopards,
Bears, venomous snakes and much more. I was shell shocked and for a few seconds
I stood motionless with my eye balls almost popping out of the sockets.
If those of you reading this blog are regular visitors
to the reserves, sanctuaries and National parks will find it easy to paint a picture
of how terrifying it is to take a solitary walk through a calm, dark, freezing dense
forest infested with what are generally perceived as the most ferocious animals
in the wild. Even a thought of such a situation in a wild dream can make a
person pee in his pants. I couldn’t hold myself back and burst up a query to the
forest guard, ‘Are you not scared of doing this ? His response was a one liner ‘Of
course I am scared but there is no way out, this is a part of our everyday life
where we often face such situations’. His response forced me to scan his dress
up from top to bottom. He had an old forest department cap on with a black
muffler wrapped from over the head to under the chin covering his ears, a T-shirt
above which was a thick uniform shirt and over it a thick khaki forest
department overcoat with thick pants which were tucked in tattered anklet
leather shoes. As for his defense just in case, he had a pathetic weapon, a 5
feet long bamboo stick and he pulled out a China Make battery-operated torch
from the pocket of his coat which would illuminate his route and check for the
denizens of the forest in the dark.
Being too uncomfortable with the situation, I took an
initiative by calling a small conference between the control room employee, the
forest guard and the visitor group on how this situation could be best dealt
with. I suggested that the wireless man call the headquarter control room and
request the authorities to allow the driver of the Jeep accompanying the guests
at the forest house to escort the forest guard to his village and return as the
driver is well aware of the routes in the zone. Unanimously agreed, the driver
was instantaneously summoned, situation explained and fortunately he agreed, provided
the permission was granted by the officials. But the driver sprung up a
condition, which we had not anticipated and he shared that no matter how well
he knew the forest, its routes and the behavior of the animals therein, he
wanted at least one more person to accompany him as on the return leg he would
be all alone that solitary drive would be scary for him.
The conference was on yet again and I volunteered to
board the Jeep as the third person. A call was tossed across on the wireless and
proposal presented. We were asked to wait for a return call as the due
permissions could only be given by higher officials. We were contacted by the
headquarters after 15 uneasy long minutes and a high ranking official permitted
the driver and me to accompany the forest guard considering the dangerous route
but instructed us clearly that it would be on our own risk and that we would
ourselves be responsible in case anything
goes wrong as it is we who volunteered to escort the forest guard. Both the driver
and me agreed to it and gave our consent. It was a blessing in disguise for me
as a Naturalist being too excited to experience the dense wilderness of Corbett
in the dark and to my surprise the driver proved to be more courageous than
what I initially perceived him to be. All said and done we boarded the Jeep, me
sitting next to the driver and the forest guard in the rear.
The electric fenced gate of the forest house was thrown
open to give way and we begin on a journey what I term as an educational ride,
one that educated me on the life and risks of a low ranked forest guard. Following
the beaten track well illuminated by the bright Jeep headlights we drove down
the slope of the knoll on which the forest house stood and in a few minutes
were entered an open part of land which was a huge sandy river bank. Here the
Jeep headlights revealed hundreds of spotted deer at a distance with their eyes
reflecting like the phone lights at a music concert. Alarmed by our approach the
entire herd speeded across the open riverbed and in no time took refuge in the
outgrowth on the edge of the sandy reiver bed on our side. I looked up to see
the sky and found that the ambience was breathtaking as the sky was clear and
cloud free with the half-moon well illuminating the river bed seeking some help
from thousands of dotted stars. Breaking the pace, we forded the shallow
rivulet and drove up the slope to the other side of the river bank and entered
into the thick foliaged woody forest. About 200 meters into the forest again I pulled
out my long throw torch under suspicion and was rewarded with a sighting of an
elephant heard of about 10-12 strong, standing motionlessly holding on to their
ground as if they were statues carved out of black granite stones. As we bypassed
about 100 meters from them a couple of them turned their heavy heads keeping an
eye on probably the lights of Jeep. Next couple of kilometers or so we drove
through tall Sal trees which formed a canopy overhead and deprived the
moonlight from penetrating down on the ground. Our Jeep lights were now our
only source of light and the Jeep engine roaring was the only dominant noise to
be heard in the dead and scary calmness of the forest. Although I did hear a
few occasional owl hoots with panicky birds fluttering across and langur money calls.
Gradually we arrived at a long wall like hill which
was cut open in the center to make way for the Jungle safari vehicles to pass
through. I was told by the beat guard that the exit side of the driving track through
the hill is a prime location for the whereabouts of a dominant male Tiger of
the area and his information was supported and seconded by the driver. As we
exited the cut-out hill track and entered the other side of the hill, I could
see why it was a prime location of a predator like a Tiger. There was a wide fordable
rivulet at a distance that provided ample water to the ungulates and other animals
with enough thick wood trees and foliage on far end of the bank on the other
side where the Tiger could take refuge during the day. Either side of the water
edges were skirted with rocks and dotted with huge rock boulders at fair
distances for the predator to either perch on them or hide behind them when need
be. Cypress stalks of about 2-3 feet high jutted out from between the rocks and
on the edges of the huge boulders making the area a perfect hiding place for an
ambush predator. Now, the forest guard too pulled out his torch as we slowed
down the Jeep to ford through the waterflow and we both began scanning the banks
of the rivulet on the opposite side with a hope of sighting the elusive
predator in the dark hours of the night.
As we forded the rivulet the sound of the water
breaking over the rocks and boulders on the side was deafening in contrast to
the scary silence we had been through while in the outgrowth area. We had not yet in the center of the rivulet
when I was startled by the tap on my shoulder from behind by the forest guard.
When I turned my head behind towards him, I could see him pointing diagonally
across the river on the bank towards the forest side where we were bound to
with his other hand. I instantly switched my torch on and threw the light in
the direction where his torch was aimed. My
torch had a strong and bright throw which I focused on top of a boulder
about 60 odd meters from us, and to my surprise I first caught the reflection of
two eyes. I took a second or two for me to coordinate my eyesight, my aim and
control my adrenalin rush to figure out that it was a Tiger perched on a 4 foot
high narrow boulder looking straight at us. It was now that three of us could
hear whispers from each other repeatedly uttering the word Tiger. The driver, a
smart chap kept uniformity in maintaining the medium pace and was careful not
to lose his concentration despite confiding in whispers to us on the fact that
this was the first time he has seen a Tiger in dark hours in the forest area. Owing
to the safety reasons we did not stop and kept rolling on a medium pace just in
case.
The excitement was at its peak as the adrenalin was
pumping at a high rate bursting my veins. What more could a Naturalist ask for
then to drive through one of the most pristine forests in the world and sight the
most sought-after predator in the wild. Two of us, the forest guard and me
never blinked our eyes nor we took our sights off the Tiger till we realized that
the trees have begun obstructing our view behind us and the driver had gained
altitude by driving up the bank and into the forest. This is when the driver
picked up some pace and I mustered courage to raise my voice a bit waking up
from a mesmerizing experience to realize that I witnessed a spectacle that not many
Naturalists are fortunate to witness. But soon I was rocked with a passing
thought that how in the world would this forest guard have made it to his
destination if he had walked all the way ? All my excitement was drained off in
a split second with the passing of the thought. In next 20 minutes we saw a
lone Tusker break branches on the way and trumpeted at us under the open sky
and finally we reached his village. The forest guard rushed into his house while
his neighbors attended to us and on his return, he broke the news that his daughter
was feeling better. We were welcomed and well served with some well needed warm
tea in the freezing night.
After a while we bid adieu to the forest guard, his
family and neighbors and set course for our return to the forest house via the
same route keeping in mind that the wireless man would be expecting us back in
the legal cordon of the forest house premises and would be waiting eagerly to message
the headquarter control room of our safe return. On the way back we encountered
deer, elephants, alarm calls of monkeys and birds. We crossed the same rivulet
but this time on a faster pace as we had two eyes less to keep a watch. The
Tiger was this time was not to be seen as I scanned the area with my torch. I
was a bit more tense on the return owing to the disturbing thoughts of having a
flat tyre or an engine failure zipping through my mind. I was relieved after a
50 minute ride to see the lights of the forest house from the sandy river bed
where we first encountered the heard of spotted deer. We reached the gates to be
welcomed by my group as well as the forest wireless employee. The forest house caretaker
was up too who invoked some warm tea at the reunion party. Back at the bonfire the
group began questioning me on the experience I encountered. My answer was a one
liner, ‘These Forest Guards are the real heroes, if we did not offer him a
ride, he’d have walked all the way to his house’
That memorable night I learnt that the Jim Corbett’s,
Kenneth Anderson’s, Sher Jung’s and many who contributed and inspired thousands
are of course wildlife icons, but these forest guards are the living legends
who live on the edge every single day of their working life. They deserve more respect
and recognition from people of all walks. They’re the fearless fighters for the
wildlife and conservation cause.
Haseeb Shaikh
Naturalist
+91 9879146350
haseebsiddique@hotmail.com
#theshaikhwithoutcamels
Comments
Post a Comment