I am out of breath... and have already been running for at least ten minutes. All I can hear is the sound of my footsteps and the occasional tall grass whipping across my arms as we continue to rush towards the river. My legs are being powered by a combination of excitement and fear and often I can't see what's out there. It is hot, the sun is intense, and the sandy bank is making it even harder. As usual, I did not bring enough water and even though I consider myself in good shape, right now I am just trying to keep up.
We flew into Nepalgunj airport on a twin prop from Kathmandu to a border region most visitors skip in favor of the majestic alps to the north. This is Bardiya National Park, and as attractions go, a newborn in the tourism industry. My guide is Bishnu, a short Nepalese man dressed in a slightly worn but well presented “uniform” and carrying a small wooden stick. It feels the right amount of officially unofficial for what we are doing. This is tiger country. And we are out here looking for them on foot. Bishnu has received word from a fellow guide in the park, and we are moving quickly to get there.
We had already been walking for over an hour when Bishnu got the call saying a tiger had been spotted two kilometers away… and that we needed to run. As we approached a small forest on the edge of the river I could hear the monkeys screaming. “This is it”, I thought as I prepared myself for what I would see once I stepped into the cluster of trees. The monkeys were jumping back and forth between the branches above me. I had never seen them act like this. It was definitely unnerving as I had been bitten by a monkey in Indonesia a few years back. And because of that, I was far more afraid of monkeys than tigers.
Cautiously we walked around the area searching the perimeter. It felt eerie but there was no tiger in sight. Something had these macaques all wound up. I walked over to the edge of the river and about one meter below my feet, I found my answer. A giant python, at least four meters long, was wrapped around one of the monkeys and was preparing to have its dinner. Often when on Safari, we track the location of a tiger based on the alarm calls of deer, birds, and monkeys who will often send a sentinel to the treetops to keep watch. In this case, the python must have been super sneaky, and either a monkey fell in the water, which is unlikely, or one came down to drink. But either way, somebody was sleeping on the job.
“This is tiger country. And we are out here looking for them on foot.”
Bishnu, on the trail ahead
After a little photography and out of respect we decided to leave the area and give nature its privacy. We walked a few more minutes and found a nice spot by the river to rest. As my heartrate slowed and I looked over the water I felt an odd sense of calm given what I had just witnessed. The sun had fallen lower on the horizon and I was comforted in simply knowing they were out there somewhere and we were close. And tomorrow… we would try again.