Another image from yesterday's cub check. As you can see the young leopards are in good shape and proving a handful for Asis and Bindu but they are up to the task, Asis has studied the leopard to Masters level and Bindu is well on her way to becoming a wildlife vet, I'm pleased to say with a passion for big cats, the leopard in particular.
An update and once again a big thank you to those following these blogs and supporting. The monsoon is playing hide and seek except when the humidity goes over about 70 percent it doesn't feel like a game. Hot, sticky weather means managing the day carefully, early morning and late afternoon are the best times for any field work, the other hours can be spent catching up on documentation and wiping sweat off the keyboard. Life goes on, a tiger takes a rhino calf barely three hundred metres away...
Down here on the Terai it's mosquitoes which have decided my off white skin is sumptuous fare. Compared to last monsoon when it was all about leeches in the mountains, this is a lot easier. Mosquito bites don't bleed for hours and I'm happy to not having to jam my fingers in a leopard's mouth to remove a leech or three. That leopard, Asa, has been on my mind. I think of how much he taught me and how little I know. He kept and keeps me humble. Living with a leopard has provoked so many questions, I said to Asis yesterday, I would give anything to be a leopard just for one day. It's fantastic the way Asis is showing complete dedication to the cubs, Tika and Ram. There is no doubt he is going through the life changing experience I did and I can see the effects on the rest of the team at the Biodiversity Conservation Centre. If these two little cubs only knew how many people are on their side, I think they would be impressed.
In the meantime Asa makes his own way in the mountains. Some livestock deaths meant an investigation and of course Asa's name was mentioned. It was quickly established he wasn't involved but once again dialogue and action regarding human/wildlife conflict ensued. There are so many issues around the leopard in Nepal, in South Asia in general. The selling of skins remains lucrative, illegal wildlife trade is a constant everywhere in the world and Nepal with a lot of poverty even before the earthquake, is a place we have to vigilant.
The school WildTiger is helping construct is now only a few days away from completion. I'll travel back into the area to get images and thoughts. For now I'm really grateful I've managed to spend a few days without travelling, it's meant catching up on sleep and getting into good meal routines again. Chitwan will be my base for some time now, the National Park is recognized as probably the most successful tiger reserve in the world and I always consider it a huge privilege to be living in an area these great cats frequent.
But for now it is another cat species which consumes me, I guess that is what happens when you lived with a leopard and want so much for these incredible animals to be better understood. The human connection to wildlife is fundamental to our being and rewilding leopards can play a role in establishing the connection, increasing the understanding.
