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Praveen aimed the D100 as soon as he spotted the wild boars, big sturdy ones and small shy ones, grazing on the wayside. He has not come across such a large sounder of boars in his years as a wildlife photographer. Tiny eyes above fatal tusks watched the intruders uneasily. As Praveen moved the car forward for a better view, tiny boars ran to their parents. Slowly the sounder vanished behind the undergrowth.

Where gaur and bear rule

Don Sebastian
2007-03-08 19:31:45

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to hunt for wildlife photos, Mustafah says. Shaji Pattanam vows to be there next summer.

Farther the winding road, deer graze on the wayside. But before we get any picture, they scoot, intimidated by the silence of the car. Don't switch off the vehicle, Babu says.

Uphill, we get down from the car for an aerial view of the dam we passed, with our guide's permission. Babu belongs to the Malasar community, one of the four tribal groups inhabiting the division between the Anamalai and the Nelliampathy hill ranges. There are 40 eco guides like him from the four communities - Malasar, Malamalasar, Kadar and Muthuvar. There are nine tribal colonies inside Parambikkulam wildlife sanctuary.

Babu has only studied up to fourth standard, but he has been catching up with English lessons to make himself a good guide. He has found a teacher in his wife, who has studied till eighth standard. But the couple is firm on providing good education to their children. The eldest son studies in a government school in Thiruvananthapuram and the younger two in the tribal school inside the sanctuary.

At Parambikkulam dam, we are joined by another eco guide and Tamil workers at the dam site. Across the dam is a Kadar colony, which could be considered the most primitive in the sanctuary. Their only access to the outside world is the dam which bridges the cultures. Even when they mingle with the mainstream, the tribesmen keep their distinct culture and customs alive.
Parambikkulam forest division has a large gaur population.

Next stop: Kannimara teak, one of the oldest in Asia. As measured on October 10, 2004, the teak measures 6.57 metres in girth and 48.50 metres in height. The teak plantations inside the sanctuary, mostly through artificial regeneration, is spread on 9000 ha.

When it began to drizzle, we returned. It was already evening. Though we hadn't spotted any big animals so far, we were still hopeful. Animals usually ...