15/07/2020
Being a naturalist has given me the privilege of meeting and getting to know people from all across the world. We tend to create a special bond with a few over the short period of time we get to spend with them. The experience of seeing an animal in the wild is always a thrilling and memorable moment and being able to give this precious experience to a guest is just one of the special perks of my job.
This is the story of Roy, an 83 year old guy, who for the first time ever, ventured out of the UK, and came to visit us at Bandhavgarh for a very special reason. His wife had a special love for tigers and always donated towards causes that helped in their conservation. Unfortunately she passed away before she could fulfil her last wish of seeing a tiger in the wild. Her sweet husband took it upon himself to honour his late wife's wish and travelled all the way to India, the first time ever he had left his country. He was part of a big group, and it was maybe their bad luck that they were unable to see a tiger properly despite going on 12 safaris, except for a slight glimpse on 2 occasions. Roy was upset as he was unable to take pictures and he clearly seemed dejected. I had interacted with this gentleman on multiple occasions and he told me his story and even showed me a picture of his wife. And that is when I took it upon myself that I will make sure that he gets to see a tiger, come what may.
On our last safari, the stakes were high and the pressure was on. e unfortunately didn't spot any tigers initially, but things took a turn for the good towards the end. We were informed that there was a tigress nearby sitting near a watering hole. As this was near the end of the safari, and the sun was setting, we were losing light, but I was determined to find this tigress, only for Roy. We waited for her to emerge, however she was still really far for an 83 year old man to even spot her, let alone be able to capture pictures properly. It was at this point that I decided to take a gamble and drove back to a nearby watering hole near the road, just hoping she would make an appearance there. And lo and behold, she did! She put on a show for us and sat down and this is when I clicked this shot, and so did Roy. And boy was he happy! We had to quickly make our exit right after, as the park was about to close. As soon as we got out of the gate, he got out of the vehicle and tearfully gave me a hug, profusely thanking me for this overwhelming yet magical experience. Till date for this reason alone, this remains one of my most fulfilling safaris.
