Before the sun hits the hills of Jawai, jeeps leave their houses in search of leopards. This was the month of August, and very quickly, after the sunrise, it got hot. And leopards prefer to stay in their caves during hot days.
For the first three months of their lives, the leopards did not leave the cave. And goes without saying, they both are totally dependent on their mother for food. Only after 1.5 to 2 years later they will leave their mother’s territory to create their own.
At this age, it’s hard to even tell whether these are male cubs or female cubs. Playing together like this with siblings will teach them the important lessons of life. It will bring them more agility and sharpen their reflexes.
These cubs played for good 10-15 minutes in front of us and then went to the other side of the cave. And that’s when we moved forward to look for other animals.
The sun had now come out, and it was morning time. Anything we see now would be captured in a much better light than when we saw the cubs. In Jawai, the wildlife you see is unique and limited. Because all these hills are surrounded by villages, you see more cattle and less wildlife.
So, we found a herd of Nilgai nearby. Nilgai is big animals. For a tiger can bring them down in a single swipe, for leopards, these are mostly a little out of their capacity.
What leopards love hunting down are their young ones. That’s why the Nilgai mothers will keep the babies at the center of the herd. However, a few bold male leopards have been known to hunt down the big nilgai bull too.
Let us tell you something about our driver from Jawai. Rajendra Singh Ranawat. What a man he was. Undoubtedly, the most passionate driver we have met in the wild.
In fact, we got tired and wanted to go home, but he kept pushing us to see more and enjoy wildlife till late at night. His warm welcome touched our hearts.
If you ever plan on visiting Jawai, you can contact him. Going with him, you will have a different experience in the wild. His rates are reasonable, and his efforts are much more than what he charges.
Per the last survey, it was estimated that there are 12-14000 leopards in India. But because Tiger conservation is prioritized, these leopards have struggled to survive.
At one end, they face the struggle of territorial fights. The mortality rate in leopards is very high. Less than half of the leopard litter survives.
When a new male leopard comes into the area, there is only one way the female leopard will mate with him when she wants new cubs. And to have new cubs, she must be made devoid of existing cubs.
This is the brutal law of nature. Male leopards frequently kill young cubs. The other issue faced with leopards is the loss of habitat. Due to our ever-increasing population, the leopard lands are shrinking. Currently, these two have this hill to play with. Who knows, tomorrow, they might be pushed away?
We count on co-existence, but sometimes, things can go wrong. There is a limit to co-existence. After all, these solitary cats need their own space. That’s the very essence of their existence. Living close to humans or any other species is against their nature.
Yet, we are forcing them to change their behavior. Given the current state, the picture looks good, but we must start preparing for the future from now. We must identify new habitats where these cubs can play without fear.
For now, their challenge is survival. Surviving the childhood days away from a dominant male who is loitering around their hill. Only time can tell what’s in store for them: Adulthood, or death.
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.
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