The wildlife warden and the bloody foreigner

Entry 24 The wildlife warden and the bloody foreigner

I headed off in good spirits today, the road ahead was looking interesting, hilly jungle and I was well on my way to Ooty. My first surprise was crossing the Kerela border, I hadnt noticed the border curls around here anyway the second and more interesting surprise was passing the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary.

I had a quick chat with the chap manning the gate and he said there was no way for me to take the bike in but if I waited I could go in a jeep four hours later.... There was nothing to do for four hours and Im certain a jeep is no way to see the wildlife so I headed on. It was a good quiet road and I noticed while crossing over a stream an old bridge and there branching from the main road was a dirt track and a bamboo observation tower beside it.



The dirt track had a chain across it, but no markers of any form, so nimbly I sidestepped the chain and headed down this unmapped road with the intention of only going a few hundred meters and coming back up.


Well a few hundred meters became a kilometre and one kilometre became two, it was all downhill for the first kilometre and as I was heading into the wind. My silent, scentless approach surprised plenty of fauna. I saw boar, two types of deer, later the spotted deer which are surprisingly large were running ahead of me for a few kilometres, lots of birds, a few troops of large silver grey monkeys and eventually elephant dung and ravaged bamboo.



Just before the traces of elephant was a flat open area that was a little too quiet for my liking, while crossing it a male buffalo bellowed a few times at me but he kept his distance. I had fanciful images of a tiger watching me from the undergrowth, but sadly or luckily I didnt see any.

A few kilometres or so on I could keep heading south or head west back over the river towards the public road, after over an hour in the park without being caught, I decided it was time to head out so crossed the river and passed an old couple and their mixed domestic troupe. The old guy tried to warn me that the rangers were up ahead but I could not understand him. The two rangers I met were very friendly and astonished at me appearing over the rise. They were so shocked I nearly got past them, but as I was heading they called me back and long radio conversations ensued.


The three of us headed towards the road and were met at the gate by another four guys in a Jeep. I kept a straight good natured face and they were all very friendly but escorted me to the assistant warden who scolded me, looked at my passport and visa and then explained the various rights he had to detain me, one of them involving incarceration of up to 11 years. So I looked suitably shocked and admonished and was out in five minutes with a promise not to go into the forest without permission.
The three guys in the photograph were in the Jeep, the two guys who apprehended me were called into the office by the assistant warden in rather stern tones as I was leaving so I didnt get their picture, I think he was annoyed at their friendliness towards me.
The guys in the photograph then explained to me that only two weeks before a Dutch couple on motorbike had been attacked by three wild elephants and were still in Hospital.

They had been on the road and must have been pretty stupid both to be caught and probably by their actions annoyed the beasts. Not that I would have much chance against them on a bike, but I would at least try and hide in a bamboo thicket and make plenty of noise as I seem to remember that backing down is the wrong thing to do, fire and lots of noise the best deterrents. But thats all very easy for me to type.

As I spent quite a bit of time in the park and disentangling myself I didnt get so far today.

Sultans Battery
Ive been looking forward to getting here, and luckily in Panamaram at a cross roads I checked with the locals and they said that indeed I could go right but it was 20km shorted to go left on the unmapped road, which I of course did. The name Sultans Battery is quite interesting, but the town is a little drab, there is a reasonable hotel, but its cheap rooms were full and there was no way I was paying Rs800 for the night, luckily I found Brothers Lodge and they gave me a room for Rs150, as the bloke wasn't around the next morning I ended up paying my deposit which was Rs200. It was a little noisy and warm, but clean enough, though I awoke at one point during the night and had both a cockroach and mouse in the room for company. I ate dinner and breakfast at the Hotel. Breakfast was a pretty good buffet with both Indian and Western options, I of course had and enjoyed both.