Welcome to Jagara Valley

Pavan Kumar H captures the thrill and tranquillity of a safari through one of Karnataka's tiger reserves

Like every seasoned safari driver, Muddu Shetty knows the magical words that keep passengers hooked for the next two hours of the ride: “Last evening, we saw Rani with her three cubs near the backwaters.” 

The five strangers travelling in his jeep in the light drizzle of this September morning safari, including yours truly, believe his story wholeheartedly — particularly convinced by the photos he had clicked of the tigress with her three playful cubs, and that of the lone leopard prowling the grasslands of Bhadra Tiger Reserve (BTR). 

Even before we entered the game area in Lakkavalli range, our eyes were scanning the tall trees and looking for any movement in the bushes. The naturalist who accompanied us, Gopalkrishna, had said that most times, the tiger and leopard were sighted in the buffer zone itself. 

At the entrance gate, we were welcomed by a heap of freshly discharged elephant dung. “A tusker returned ‘home’ half an hour ago, after raiding crops in the neighbouring fields last night,” said the guard at the gate. This information only increased our level of excitement and anxiety. 

For the next hour, our jeep crossed several water bodies, grasslands, a moist mixed deciduous forest, a teak plantation, plain land and the backwaters of the Bhadra reservoir. Luck was not on our side as intermittent rain and the lush cover of green hid the big cats and other carnivores. Even the tusker, who had left his mark in the form of dung and broken bamboo shoots was not to be seen. We could only see a few herds of chital, sambar deer, Indian gaur, monitor lizards, serpent eagles and peacocks. 

Before exiting the game area, Muddu took us to the heart of the tiger reserve and switched off the engine. The area was surrounded by tall teak, rosewood, kindal, honne, nandi, mathi and tadalsu, along with bamboo and many other medicinal plants. On the forest bed were wild turmeric and wild ginger. 

A sambar deer. Photo by author

As we closed our eyes and breathed deeply, an aroma filled our hearts — the fresh air had a fragrance of wildflowers that is hard to describe. For the next 10 minutes, the cool breeze and silence of the jungle took us to a state of tranquillity. We were only brought back by Muddu’s declaration: “Welcome to Jagara valley, the land of high mountains, beautiful valleys, Shola and evergreen forests, Neelakurinji and coffee.”

It was in 1951 that the Mysore Kingdom recognised the 124.63 sq km of forest area in the Western Ghats as the Jagara Valley Wildlife Sanctuary. This was aimed at protecting one of the most diverse ecosystems in Chikkamagaluru district. The area was expanded to 492.46 sq km in 1974, and renamed the Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary. The sanctuary, which is shaped like a saucer, is surrounded by the scenic hills and slopes of Mullayanagiri, Hebbegiri, Gangegiri and Bababudangiri. 

Given its strategic location and role as a critical corridor for wild animals, the area was declared India’s 25th and Karnataka’s second tiger reserve in 1998. This year, BTR is celebrating its silver jubilee of being declared a tiger reserve, and its golden jubilee of being declared a wildlife sanctuary. The 500.16 sq km critical tiger habitat and 571.84 sq km buffer area, according to the 2023 Tiger Estimate report of the National Tiger Conservation Authority, is home to more than 35 royal Bengal tigers, 116 leopards. It also houses 445 elephants, as per the elephant population status report. 

One of the main reasons for the thriving wildlife population at Bhadra is the fact that since 2002, the entire protected area has been free from human habitation, following a successful rehabilitation programme. More than 736 families from 16 villages in the core areas of the sanctuary were relocated outside forest limits. Since then, the forest has not reported a single fire incident, which was previously a common occurrence.

River terns. Photo by Kaleem Ulla

Diverse species

Apart from the ‘big three’, Bhadra’s diverse habitat is home to 40 mammals, 250 plus varieties of birds, more than 30 reptile species, 20 species of amphibians, 40 varieties of fishes and 250 types of butterflies. It is estimated that the protected area has more than 120 varieties of trees in it. The star attraction among them is the 350-year-old ‘Jagara Giant’, a massive teak tree that stands 32 m tall and has a girth of 5.1 m. One can see this living giant during a safari in the Muthodi range.

Forest officials have recorded pangolins, jungle cats, jackals, sloth bears and flying squirrels, among many other elusive species. While the majority of them cannot be seen during the safari, one animal that is hard to miss is the Indian gaur. It is hard to believe that three decades ago, the gaurs were almost on the verge of extinction in Bhadra, after the outbreak of Rinderpest disease, which resulted in the death of more than 1,000 gaurs. However, the conservation efforts of the forest department paid off, and gaurs have returned with vigour. 

River terns represent another important species that has become synonymous with the Bhadra river. They turn up in thousands during the summer. Karthik N J, a scholar from the Department of Wildlife Management at Kuvempu University, who is conducting a study on the life and breeding of these birds, has recorded more than 5,000 river tern nests on the two islands that are formed when the backwaters of the Bhadra recede. No other place in India has reported such a large congregation of these birds, which lay eggs in five to six colours to camouflage them with their surroundings. 

A grey hornbill. Photo by author

“Bhadra is an avian paradise,” says Karthik. However, he feels that little is known about the avian population at Bhadra, as not many studies have been done. He wishes to research why a large number of migratory birds (especially water body birds) are not visiting the protected area.

Another area that requires study, according to Gopalkrishna, a naturalist with Jungle Lodges and Resorts at BTR, is wild mushrooms. The tiger reserve has several species of mushrooms, including earth star and purple pinwheel.