The Terai, the Himalaya, vital habitat which must be conserved for all our sakes. People spend so much time focused on what is inside them yet we are nothing without what is outside us...
In the first image Asis is removing bee stings from NTNC researcher Santosh who was stung 34 times in the head area and had to be hospitalized. It was a bit of a worry for a while as Santosh did suffer but he is a tough Nepali, he got through it. Santosh copped it the most at the back of the second elephant. Asis and I were on the first elephant in twelve foot elephant grass when we encountered the bees, we got through safely and then led the way quickly to the army post which was luckily only fifteen minutes away. The bees kept attacking through this time, there was too much risk in that habitat to dismount so smoke was used to drive the attackers away once we got to the post.
Asis, a former doctor, did a great job appraising the situation as the jeep was called and we took a direct line out to where we could meet it, once again with luck that it was only an hour away.
The ambiguity of Nepal's sometimes aggressive wildlife was clear the next day when as a smaller team we again traveled by elephant into a much more remote area as part of our scouting for the Leopard Rewilding Program. This time our concern was wild elephants which had been active in the area the night before. There was plenty of sign the herd was very close by as our mahouts did an excellent job avoiding them in dense jungle. This was a place away from safaris, it was a place for tigers, there was much sign of them and of their prey.
Making the right decisions at this point of the project is absolutely crucial. There are many problems we are dealing with on account of Nepal's current situation but being in a place where wildlife can roam without interference was powerful. It was deep isolated jungle, not a place for tourists. The only human footprints were of anti-poaching patrols... but we had eyes open for sign of poachers.
It's interesting but this question seems to come in waves, do I miss Asa, the Leopard of Hope? I think about him a lot when I'm in truly wild places but the answer is not a simple one as I've explained before. I had to, and still do, approach things on different level, thinking like a leopard, a different type of emotion comes into play. So no, I do not miss him in the way people ask, it is a different feeling. Perhaps my book will explain more but right now the focus is very much on Tika and Ram, the project as a whole, the future.
The night we came out I dreamed of a tiger running towards me. It was vivid, it was powerful colour and surprising because I do not usually remember my dreams. I don't know what happened, I woke suddenly but I'm hoping I thought like a leopard and climbed a tree... and then took a good look at the situation to make the right decision...
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