Rendezvous with Wild Elephants at Bandipur - Part I

This is the first encounter my family had with the bunch of elephants when we were on a safari in Bandipur.



On Dec 25th 2011 in the morning a group of tourist including my family were on a safari to Bandipur forest in an open bus.On the roadside their was bunch of four elephants along with a calf having their food.Our bus just stopped to see them for a while near the forest gate.The bunch was scattered with two elephants standing with the calf and two standing on the back side.

The Elephant & the Calf

For some time we watched the elephant and the calf .The calf was sulking milk for some time and the other elephants were having there food from the adjoining trees.This was going on for some time.Since this site was on a National Highway, people moving from this area were all watching this magnificient site from their vehicles.



Elephants with the Calf

Suddenly one of the elephants on the backside (the one on the right side in the photo) started approaching our vehicle with a roar as if the vehicle is going to attack them.The driver stopped the engine and watched.He thought may be because of the engine sound he must have got irritated.All the vehicles in the vicinity started moving away accept the one in which we were sitting.

Two elephants on the Back side

The elephant roared 2 times.All the people sitting in the bus got scared.The driver told all to keep quiet and watch.He told unless and until provoked he will not come near the vehicle instead it will try to scare us.He started roaring and approching the vehicle.He was at about 3 feet distance from our bus.Then the inevitable happened.One of the passengers sitting on my backside approached the elephant with a hand and made the voice 'chiss' 'chiss'.

The Elephant approaching the vehicle

The elephant roared and came very close to the vehicle as if it was going to push down the vehicle.He was staring the vehicle and its occupants.He stood the ground for another 2 minutes and then suddenly he moved back and ran back to the forest.By this time we can see that the herd of Elephants with the calf was nowhere near our vicinity.They have moved inside the jungle.

The Elephant near the Vehicle

All the passengers took a sigh of relief and everybody waited to move on into the jungle.Some were telling that lets move back to the jungle camp.     

 

Elephant moving back to Forest

But  then  all of us decided to move with the safari and we went back to the forest. But this was one of the wild encounters which will remain in our memories for life.

Please share your thoughts & comments.

Join my Facebook page :http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sujith-Photography/235142889885211

Copyrights Sujith Nair - ©SujithPhotography
All rights reserved 2012