Reviving Satpura: MP Forest Department's Remarkable Tiger Reintroduction Efforts

Young tigress from Satpura's Madhai core zone

Those who want to see tigers in the wild prefer going to Ranthambhore, Tadoba, or Corbett. However, we at Vana Experiences are on a mission to show you that tigers are being sighted even in the lesser-known Indian jungles of Satpura Tiger Reserve and Tipeshwar Wildlife Sanctuary.

In March 2024, we loaded our car with our safari gear and headed to find out the unique nuances of these jungles. Our first stop was the Tipeshwar Wildlife Sanctuary which is home to 15 tigers right now, after which we headed to Satpura after a smooth 9 hour drive.

We checked ourselves in Pugdundee’s Denwa Backwaters Escape and prepared for our safaris from the next day. We had booked a total of 5 safaris which would give us a thorough knowledge about the jungle.

The jungles of Satpura are one of the oldest forests of India and have great archaeological significance considering the jungle is home to more than 50 rock shelters with paintings dating 1500 to 10,000 years old. Additionally, the jungle is home to many rare and endemic plants and at least 14 species of endangered mammals, reptiles and birds.

History about tiger population in Satpura:

According to studies conducted by Sandeep Sharma - a conservation researcher from Smithsonian Institute in 2016, Satpura - Maikal Region was home to tigers 10,000 years ago. Their population sub-division began approximately 1000 years ago and further accelerated 200 years ago owing to habitat fragmentation to nearby connecting Central Indian corridors of Melghat, Kanha or Pench. In fact, cave paintings found in the region also showcase the presence of tigers, peacocks, men riding elephants etc.

With this proof of their existence in the Satpura ranges, the Madhya Pradesh forest department decided to reintroduce tigers a decade ago and within this timeframe, the tiger population has grown from 5-6 to a healthy number of up to 60 tigers in the region.

Our experience of Satpura:

As mentioned above, we wanted to explore Satpura because we believed that this is one of the most underrated jungles of India. In fact we also had a hunch that the prey and predator population living in Satpura has its own unique behavioural patterns that can be observed in a much better manner in-person. And we were right about this! Read on to know more.

Just like any other jungles, Satpura is also divided into a couple of core and buffer zones. Since we were staying closest to the Madhai gate, we decided to take all our core safaris here. Our unique experience started right here - by taking a boat to go on the other side for the safari. Once we cross the river, we hop into the gypsy and enter a world of extremely tall teak trees in a slightly hilly landscape with many water sources for animals and birds. Within a few minutes of our safari time, we came across a family of sloth bears who were busy feeding themselves. After spending some time with them, we found yet another sloth bear mother who was piggy backing her cubs and walking through the jungle. We know you are thinking why are we telling you about sloth bears when we should be writing about tigers. But the catch is that just before tigers were reintroduced a decade ago, Satpura became the home for a large number of sloth bears and leopards. Wildlife enthusiasts from all over the world would come here to see these two species. And since they have spent a long time with safari vehicles, sloth bears here are quite bold and don’t mind posing for photographers.

Coming back to tiger sightings!

While we were enjoying the second family of sloth bears, we found some pug marks of tigers close by. We decided to follow their movement and voila! - we found a handsome male tiger about 3-4 years old sitting under a tree on a bed of green grass and his face well-lit by the early morning sunlight.

Male tiger who yawned more than 8 times before his morning walk

This tiger had a beautiful coat and had already yawned a couple of times. so we anticipated that. He will get up for a walk. But he was in a mood to prove us wrong. He in fact yawned for almost 8-9 times and kept a close watch on a sambar deer on a nearby hillock. After 30 minutes, he finally walked towards the deer and climbed a steep slope to come onto another side. Once again, we spent another 45 minutes following the tiger from the other side as he walked more.

While we spent over an hour with the tiger, we couldn’t help but notice that other than the occasional sambar deer calls, there weren’t any monkey calls at all. It seemed that the monkeys don’t see tigers as a threat at all. However, our naturalists told us that monkeys go berserk and frantic every time they see a leopard as leopards have a tendency to chase them even up the trees.

In our next two safaris, we found the sister of the male tiger for an hour each and she graced us in her calm and composed demeanour. We even got lucky to see her hunt a sambar deer at a close proximity.

Night safari experience:

Scops owl spotted during night safari in Satpura

We strongly recommend going on a night safari in Satpura as a must-do activity. Night safaris are conducted in the buffer area and since the jungle is quite dense we got to not only see some wildlife such as adult male sloth bear, hares, scops owl, civet in the dark but also experience their fragrances. For example - for the first time we got a chance to smell tiger’s spray markings! This is definitely going to be an unforgettable experience after hearing tigers snoring, we were fortunate to smell their spray markings too.

Should you go book a trip to Satpura?

Yes, you should!

Satpura is one of the most beautiful jungles and its an ideal package for me because along with great cat sightings, you can explore the cave paintings here too and enjoy a lot of birding! Other than gypsy safaris, we suggest you to also spend one more time walking in the core area of the jungle learning more about the flora and smaller wildlife such as insects, butterflies, etc. This experience will elevate your love for nature to another level, making you want more.

Our agenda of exploring the lesser-known jungles has been extremely successful and we will not stop here. Next season, we will be hunting 2-3 more lesser known jungles for you to consider so stay tuned!