Hello wildlife lovers, and welcome back to another virtual safari with us. For those who are new to the channel, this is the third episode of the Jawai Series. If you have not already, please watch episodes 1 and 2 as well. And yes, don’t forget to subscribe to our channel Discover Wild Paws.
After watching Jivda on the rocks, we headed towards the water to look for the man-eater crocodiles. The weather was not in our favor. The conditions were overcast, and we had very few moments of sunshine.
We stopped for a while to see using our binoculars if we could find some birds. When people think of Jawai, all they imagine is hills full of leopards. But Jawai is also a bird paradise. Especially when the winter season ends in February-March, and the water in this lake is at its top level.
Your driver here can tell you where you can get down. It is safe to get down as long as you are more than 20 feet away from the water.
And the first group of birds we saw was flamingoes. Many birders come to Jawai during winter to find a variety of birds like Sarus Cranes, Knob-billed ducks, spotbill, and other migrating birds.
The dam near this water body, famously known as the Jawai Bandh, was built by Maharaja Umaid Singh of Jodhpur. The construction of this dam was completed in 1957 for a total cost of Rs 2 crores and seven lakhs.
After watching the flamingoes, we went closer to the water. Now, this is where you are not allowed to get down. The reason is that there is harmony between people and leopards in Jawai but not between people and crocodiles.
The crocodiles are man-eaters and, if given an opportunity, will drag any living being inside the water within a glimpse of an eye. Even though you don’t see the crocodiles, you can still not be sure they are not nearby. Crocodiles can hold their breath and stay underwater for more than an hour.
While waiting for the crocodiles to pop out of the water, our driver received a message on his walkie-talkie. The message was “Rajendra Bhai, Jivda hilltop pe baithi hai, aa jao,” which meant “The female leopard is sitting on top of a hill, come soon.”
And when you hear a message like this, you cannot just sit and wait for the crocodiles. We turned our jeep and rushed towards the hills. We were around 15 minutes away from the spot where she was sitting. And it was getting dark too. Nevertheless, we didn’t lose hope and kept rushing.
In Jawai, you can expect to see the same leopards multiple times during the day as they keep going to their caves and come back. Eventually, a few jeeps joined us too. And then, we reached the spot where the queen was sitting.
When a leopard sits on top of the hill, she is looking over her territory. She can, of course, see these jeeps which are gathered to see her. And then they scan the nearby villages to find any prey or look for any other leopards in the area which can harm her cubs.
It kept getting dark, and the jeeps started leaving. Our cameras were no longer able to capture her skin tone. All we could see was her silhouette on top of the hill. And I must admit, it is one of the most memorable moments from our visit to Jawai.
When the sun goes down, these apex predators get into their beast mode, and watching her at night in the company of stars and fresh air was breathtaking. This is the Queen of Jawai for you all.
During our time here, we stayed at the Bijapur Lodge. We met the owners and were blown away by the hard work and dedication their team had put in to convert barren land into a healthy ecosystem with more than 550 thriving species. What was touching was to build the resort, they did not cut any trees. The only wood used for all their infrastructure was recycled wood.
To check out their property and list of experiences, they offer, please visit:
bijapurlodge.com/
Some of the footage used in this video has been captured by the business owner at Bijapur Lodge Jawai, Vikramaditya Singh Rathore.
The official KZitem account of Bijapur is / @bijapurlodge2755
Also, a special thanks to our expert driver from the trip: Rajendra Singh Ranawat. You can reach out to this humble man directly at +91-9929452969. He is the best in Jawai and his experience and dedication will help you enjoy the trip even more.
If you liked this video, please subscribe to our channel Discover Wild Paws:
/ @discoverwildpaws
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Негізгі бет Episode 3 - Leopard on Hill at Night | Leopard Safari in Jawai | Rajasthan Tourism 2022
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