A TRIP TO REMEMBER : BARNAWAPARA WILDLIFE SANCTUARY

Located in northern part of Mahasamund district of Chhattisgarh, Barnawapara Wildlife Sanctuary is one of the finest and important wildlife sanctuaries in the region. The sanctuary is relatively a small one covering an area of only 245 sq km. The topography of the region comprises of flat and hilly terrain. The Barnawapara Wildlife Sanctuary is widely known for its lush green vegetations and unique wildlife.

In the month of February of 2017, I had the opportunity to visit this Sanctuary with my mother. It is at a distance of 140 Kms from Champa, where I stay. We left Champa on a weekend at 3PM and after a long drive of 4hrs reached the state Tourism Resort at Barnawapara. The last third of the journey was completely through the dense forest of the sanctuary. The rooms in the resort are aesthetically designed like machaans and beautifully located beside a huge lake in the midst of the jungle.

Hareli Eco Resort

After taking a bit of rest, we freshened up and got ready for a bonfire the staffs had arranged for us. We enjoyed the silence of the jungle over a cup of coffee accompanied with tasty snacks at the bonfire. Then we were called up for dinner at the restaurant at 10PM. The quality of food was really commendable.

The next day, I woke up early to check if there was any wildlife on the banks of lake taking sips of water. Could only see a herd of Spotted Deer. After scanning the area thoroughly with my monocular, I could spot a little jewel sitting over a log in the lake. It was a Common Kingfisher. The name is a bit ironic, as it is not at all that common as the name suggests. The day started with a good omen.

Common Kingfisher

After having a sumptuous breakfast served at the Machaan balcony over viewing the lake, we got out to take a stroll around the resort. We had our lunch at around 2PM and got ready for the evening Gypsy Safari. We departed for safari at 3PM and entered the jungle. Though the prime attraction here at Barnawapara are the elusive Leopards and the secretive Sloth Bears, it is very difficult to spot one. This I can say from my previous experiences at the much largely famed National Parks and Tiger Reserves of India. Hence, my expectations were not too high and I had set out just to absorb and enjoy the beauty of the jungle.

Bhalu Dwar - BWLS

The driver of our Gypsy was very calm and knew his job well. The Guide, despite his young age, was very knowledgeable. We started moving towards the various waterholes in the sanctuary one by one, hoping to see a Leopard or a Bear that might have come to drink water. We moved from one to another, but without any luck. 

Bison Calf

As we were on our way to the fourth or fifth water hole, the guide ecstatically called in a low voice, “Bhalu…Bhalu!!!”. The driver immediately stopped the gypsy. The guide pointed towards the location where he thought he had seen a Bear. And yes, he was right. It was a Sloth Bear. It was very far away on top of some rocks hidden behind the bushes. We waited for half an hour to get a clear sight but the bear was too shy to come out and eventually we had to move on. Still the distant sight of the bear made our day and also the entire trip.

Sloth Bear

During the rest of our safari we sighted herds of Spotted Deer, Sambhar, Neelgai, Bison, Langurs, Wild Boar, Peafowl, Egrets, Racquet tailed Drongos, Green Bee eaters, White throated Kingfishers, Indian Black Ibis, Open Billed Stork, Purple Heron, Great Cormorant, Indian Roller, Rose ringed and Plum headed Parakeets, Herons and lots of other birds. We returned to our resort very content having sighted such a variety of wildlife. The day ended with a delicious meal for dinner.

Dancing Peafowl

I woke up late the next morning and had breakfast. It was at around 12 noon when I was packing up to check out, that suddenly a strange sound outside drew my attention. I moved to the balcony. It was Langur alarm calls. The calls were continuous and gave the signal that some predator was surely around. I saw some movement on the far distant side of the huge lake in front of my balcony but was not sure of what it was. On checking it with my monocular, I was thrilled to see that it was a pack of three Indian Wolves. I saw them swim a stretch of the lake to get to the other side and disappear into the thick forest. I could only take pictures with my 24-120mm lens as I had already packed my bigger lens and kept it away in my car. I immediately took my car and drove towards the area where they seemed to be heading. I drove through a Kuccha road following Langur and Spotted Deer alarm calls. As I was driving, I saw some movement in the bushes inside the forest and knew it was those wolves. I stopped my vehicle and got my camera ready. Had to wait long to get a slightly clear view and take few pictures. The quality was not that good as it was shot from quite a long distance.

Since there is no mention of the presence of Indian Wolves at Barnawapara Wildlife Sanctuary in either Chhattisgarh Forest or Tourism website, it is quite possible that this might have been the first sighting of this highly endangered species in the area.

Indian Wolf

With the fact that presently only 2000–3000 Indian wolves roam freely in the wild in India, having to see them at Barnawapara was the sighting of a lifetime. I made it sure to inform the Forest Department about the incident.

My overall experience at Barnawapara was very delightful and I returned home with memories that I can treasure throughout my lifetime. Shall definitely return to BWLS. This time with hopes of sighting the elusive one- the Leopard.

-  HIMADRI SARKAR