Cleopatra, the queen of Kabini

Panthera pardus fusca

VULNERABLE

Kabini

My love for the jungles and its inhabitants started when I was about knee high and perched on my grandfathers lap as he taught me jungle lore and narrated the exploits of Jim Corbett. Over the years that love has gradually grown and when my foggy brain, that seems to be always leaking out of things to remember needs a refresh, I reach out for the greens and the vivid, glowing details of the jungles. I first knew the leopard in Rudraprayag as Carpet Sahib tracked and finally brought it down. From then to now I have seen many leopards in many places but none so vivid and vibrant as the one we saw in Kabini. Interestingly, the other author from my childhood was the Bangalore based, India-born British hunter and writer, Kenneth Anderson, who combed these very same jungles hunting and photographing leopards.

In the lush Nilgiri Biosphere, to the south of the famed Nagarhole Tiger Reserve & National Park, on the banks of the river Kasbani lies the area known as Kabini. A major tributary of the Cauvery, the Kasbani is also known as the Kapila river and Kabini River giving the area its name. Consisting mainly of moist deciduous forests, interspersed with teak and eucalyptus plantations, and at a lower altitude compared to Bandipur across the river, Kabini is sprinkled with open grasslands, making it easy to spot wildlife, and providing amazing photographic opportunities. 

The erstwhile exclusive hunting grounds of the kings of Mysore, Kabini has lush forests, small rivulets, hills, valleys and waterfalls making it a veritable paradise for many species like the tiger, dhole, gaur, elephants, chital, sambhar and the leopard. One can also spot the critically endangered oriental white-backed vulture, various species of eagles and the Nilgiri wood pigeon.

But I digress - the following video and photos are of one of the most elusive and elegant species stalking these mesmerising forests.

The elusive Indian leopard (Panthera pardus fusca), a ghost of the forests, is often hailed as its most elegant dweller. Its gleaming rosettes catch the sunlight as it prowls through the brush or stalks down a tree. Shy, bashful and elusive, spotting - leave alone photographing - a leopard in the wild demands numerous hours spent searching the forests and more often than not one returns unsuccessful. The very lifestyle of a leopard has it living on the run from the larger predators like the royal bengal tigers and intelligent, vicious pack hunters like the dhole in India. 

Our trip to the lush forests of Kabini was dedicated to the search of the even more elusive Black Panther. We arrived on 3 January and started on a good note as soon as we entered the forests. Our first contact was with the Tiger Tank female, one of the ruling tiger families of Kabini. Then we had the good fortune to stumble onto the path of a pack of 7 dhole out on a hunt. We tracked them for almost half an hour recording and photographing. I will share the photos in a later blog.

As we finally decided to let the dhole continue on their hunt we got news of a leopard spotted on a tree. We made our way to the location and were greeted with the sight of one of the most beautiful cats of Kabini. She was perched on a tree watching, unperturbed by our presence. I am told the resident leopards of Kabini have become used to the daily rumblings of safari vehicles through the forest and are therefore becoming easier to spot and track.

Our guide said she was named Cleopatra (unofficial name ofcourse) and she was the queen of Kabini. Her mating with Scarface has given Kabini many litters and she became the symbol of life and love for the leopards here. Off late she has also been seen and photographed with the Black Panther, the star attraction of Kabini now. 

I have been fortunate to witness many wild animals in their natural habitat in all their glory but this encounter with the beautiful Cleopatra has been by far my best experience yet. A promise made that day to return sometime soon to find her mate, the magnificent Black Panther. 

My grateful thanks to my companions - Ismail, Nikhil, Angad & Rishi - for bearing with me and my excesses. 

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