Nature study camp- Bandipur Tiger reserve (10-12th October 2021)
Lets feel the greens and smell the wild……
“And into the forest I go to lose my mind and find my soul” –John Muir
Children were raring to go outdoors after a long lockdown and what better place to go than Bandipur Tiger Reserve.
With great excitement and enthusiasm, a group of 30 students joined us on a three-day nature journey.
On reaching the camp we were greeted by spotted Deers and wild boars. That set the momentum for the day. After a quick introduction of participants, we took the Safari ride.
The highlight of the safari was the sighting of wild matriarchal Elephant families with young calves trotting along, a herd of Gaur (Indian Bison) with the one ton male in the lead, and the Amazing paradise flycatcher bird to name a few.
The second day started at the camp started very early with Yoga and Exercise by my friend Loknath, followed by a birding trail around the campus. To our surprise we saw a big handsome tusker roaming and grazing in front of us, Children were amazed at this gentle giant, before they could look further some of them spotted wild dogs disturbing another Tusker a bit far away.
Early afternoon was filled with the excitement to locate and watch the lesser-known bugs and insects around the campus. This was connected to learning about the role of grass and small organisms in the ecosystem.
This is a beauty of being in nature, the surprises it throws, the way it teaches many things in one scene. The inter-relationships & interactions between various life forms in forest, the alertness and reflexes we need to observe wildlife.
We played nature games to understand the links between various lifeforms in the Ecosystems.
The second day safari was even better with spotting of an Indian Sloth Bear and Sambar. The best spotting was of a mating pair of Brown Fish Owl.
The day ended with reviews and reactions of the day by the children.
The last day started with a bang as the youngest one in our group was the first to spot a baby Green Keelback Snake in the grass. This brought in more buzz in the already charged up kids.
Students then went to the beautiful hill temple of Himvad Gopala Swamy Betta (popularly known as GS Betta). The sudden change of weather and drop in temperature on top surprised the children. The breath taking 360-degree view of the forest around the hill was mesmerizing.
At this great height students saw Elephants, Gaurs, and Sambar Deer. There were more questions and doubts on this and the answers were obvious advantage of these animals in adapting to their surroundings and habitat.
The camp ended with new friendship and bonding that they will cherish a lifetime and a pledge to conserve and protect the only earth they have.
