Wednesday, May 2, 2018

Bison tracking in Poland

The Wisent, or European Bison. Very little is known about this enigmatic mega herbivore. Many Sri Lankans wouldn't even know there was bison in Europe. But this is the largest land animal in Europe and has been roaming the dark forests of the continent for millennia. This is proven with the many cave paintings by our ancient ancestors depicting hunting bison.

With a bull standing 5-6 feet at the shoulder with a weight of 800-1000 kg these are truly majestic giants. Sadly the amazing species almost faced extinction in the wild. In 1919 the last wild Wisent was shot, and only a scattered population remained in zoos. Genetic studies proved that only 6 of the captive Wisent were suitable for breeding. These survivors became the ancestors of the now surviving wild Wisent. After two bulls were successfully released in the Bialowieza Forest in 1952 and followed by two cows the following year, in 1957 the first European bison was born in the wild.

Today there are over 3,000 wild European Bison scattered across the continent. Seeing such a magnificent animal in the wild was always my dream. My goal is to witness and photograph the great mega fauna of this planet, and hence the Wisent or European Bison was the top of my list.

Bialowieza is one of the last European primeval forests and a massive expanse of woods spreading between Poland and Belarus. This is an immense forest expanding to over 141,885 hectares, and one of the last refuges for mega fauna such as Bison, Moose, Red Deer and predators such as Wolf and Eurasian Lynx.




There are over 600 Bison living in this forest eco system, but as they are mainly forest animals, it is not very easy to find them. I was heading to Poland on a work assignment, and as usual I read up about the wildlife to be seen in this country, with little expectation of finding any mega fauna. But to my surprise I read up about Bialowieza and immediately made my plans to visit this forest after my work is done.

I wrote to many experts and photographers in the area, and all confirmed that April may not be the best time to see them, and that its not easy to find these giants out in the open. But given that I am already in the country I decided to make plans and give it a shot.

Hence after a stressful week of travelling to many cities such as Poznan, Warsaw, Krakow and Gdansk, I finally was ready to head to the far East to seek my quarry the giant European Bison.

I was joined by my Polish friends Adam and Kasia, who met up with me at 10.00 am on Saturday to take me all the way to the forest. En-route we passed many charming villages and countrysides. Poland has a whole has alot of forest cover, and hence we passed many forest patches along the way. Our discussion were about the bison, and even Kasia confirmed that despite the fact that she has visited the area many times she has never seen a wild bison. Hence we were quite pessimistic on our journey, but nevertheless wanted to enjoy nature and have a good time.

Reach the town of Hajnowka, we turned off towards the village of Bialowieza, which passes the ancient forest on both sides. En-route Adam wanted to visit a local zoo which housed few of the wildlife specimens in enclosures. I was not too keen, but as he was interested we obliged and went ahead. As with all zoo's we were presented with large enclosures of wildlife in enclosures, sitting in one place, and not looking too healthy. This was not what I had come to seen and hence we did a quick round and headed back out.

En-route I jokingly told Kasha "what if we see bison by the side of the road in the forest" and to which she replied saying "its never going to happen". It didnt take us 10 mins after this conversation, when I noticed some cyclists who have stopped their bicycles and were taking photos of something in the forest with their phones. Then I saw through the trees there was a bison grazing in the forest. I shouted out to Adam to stop the car at once, and I jumped out, and ran to the boot to grab my gear, and walking into the forest towards the cyclists.

When I reached there, my hands were shaking with excitement, I was finally face to face with a real Wild European Bison ! I started clicking away, and I was only around 20-30 meters from this bull. The light was abit harsh as he was out in the open, and the bison was a young bull which hasn't fully matured. He looked at us, and then started rubbing his head and horns on a tree stump. After taking my pictures, I noticed another bison much deeper in the forest. From the darker coat I realized this was a much bigger animal, and also the forest looked much nicer for photography, hence I slowly walked my self around the forest, and deeper inwards to get a nice angle to see this giant.





What I was facing was a fully matured bull, which a gigantic structure and large horns, exactly how I had imagined these animals. A majestic behemoth fitting the role of "King of the Woods". This giant bull was easily 5.5-6 feet at the shoulder and would have weighed between 800-1000 KG. He looked at me head on, and the sight in front of me was amazing, the typical Bialowieza forest full of trees as a backdrop along with the newly bloomed spring flowers on the ground, which gave an almost mystical picture for my camera. I started clicking away, trying to ensure I get as much of the habitat as well. The bull kept watching me, and after about 5-10 minutes, I decided to slowly walk backwards, not to startle it, as we have to remember these are wild animals and can turn aggressive. My heart was racing, and my adrenaline pumping, this was an amazing sighting which was beyond my wildest expectations, and especially so early into the trip. Our car stopping along with the cyclists brought more attention and an increasing number of people were coming to see this spectacle, mainly to see the first bison which was more out in the open. After around 15 minutes more, both animals slowly made their way deeper into the forest.







I was overjoyed and elated, and in utter disbelief in what I had just experienced. I still couldn't fathom that I was so lucky to see these bison, so close to the roadside and even before we had officially reached the town and started our tour with the wildlife guide. We reached the Bialowieza town thereafter and checked into our hotel, before meeting up with our wildlife expert and guide Pawel. He was very knowledgeable and had a deep understanding of the forest. We discussed for over an hour about Bialowieza before heading out with him to cover some of the main areas of the forest. We passed many meadows, where we looked out for more bison as well as other wildlife. Unfortunately we didn't spot much except some roe deer and a lesser spotted eagle far away. I wasn't worried at all , as I had achieved the main target of the trip, and hence discussed on plans to come in a different season and spend more days exploring this unique forest.

The next day we explored the many historical and cultural places in this town. I read that Bialowieza was the chosen hunting reserve for the Russian Tsars who even had an imperial palace in this area. Many of the guest houses and motels are old hunting lodges, with charming decor and memorabilia. There are some amazing restaurants serving some amazing polish food. The forest trails and pathways are many in this area and being the weekend attracted many Polish and foreign visitors to this region.

The bison, known as Zubr in Polish is iconic in this area, with many places, drinks and monuments in its name. The most famous was the Polish vodka Zubrowka, and beer named Zubr which are very popular in this area.

The famous Bison Grass Polish Vodka
And the Zubr Beer ! Zubr means Bison in Polish

Celebrating my sighting with Adam

And Amazing Food !!!

Traditional Polish Dumplings called Pierogi




Even in the capital city, there are many emblems of the bison used in corporate such as banks, which shows who deep the Bison is etched in Polish culture.


Statue of an European Bison in Bialowieza which was cast in St Petersberg Russia, in commemoration of the hunt by the Russian Tzar. 

With our Wildlife Guide Pawel



At the old Railway station by the Carska restaurant. The restaurant is located in an old building of the railway station "Bialowieza Towarowa" built in 1903 for the Tsar Nicholas II. Character and the interior comprised by original furniture of that period, are referring to tzarist times.



I will return back to this amazing land hopefully to spend more time and explore this amazing European wilderness.


















Friday, March 30, 2018

The Ultimate Island Safari in Sri Lanka


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Sunday, February 25, 2018

Meeting Gajaba the legendary Tusker


My story with Gajaba the mighty tusker found in the North Central region of the country , starts over 5 years ago, with a random video clip seen on facebook of this gigantic specimen of an elephant patrolling a lake bed along with a herd of elephants. The bull was significantly taller than all the elephants around, and I was amazed at the sheer size and majesty of this elephant.

 I spend many months trying to get more details about him, and befriended a local in the area who would end up becoming a very close friend and ally in conservation of elephants in this area.

 Sadly elephants in the area are found outside national parks, and in and among human habitats. They are in eternal conflicts with people and there are major casualties on both sides. People as well are struggling to eke out a living farming and the elephants who have nowhere else to go, are tempted by the nutritious crops which are grown by the villagers and will raid them at night. A single harvest of a poor villagers will be eaten in one night, hence it is not a surprise that people retaliate. At its most basic, the elephants are chased away by large fire crackers issued by the Department of Wildlife, but some people take it to the next level and using rudimentary shotguns will attempt to harm the elephants, which at most cases end up with grievous injuries, which maim but do not kill. This makes the situation worse and these enraged elephants will be even more aggressive and dangerous. In much worse cases the young would fall victim to homemade explosives such as Hakka Pattas which are originally intended for wild boar but unsuspecting young elephants are easy prey and many a young animal are found either killed or with shattered jaws. Another means of harm for elephants are the large unprotected agricultural wells. Both adult and young elephants fall into these dangerous pits which are without any walls and in worse cases the elephant either drown or are permanently injured beyond recovery. Another sad state which I have observed I these areas are when the herds come out to drink at local lakes and tanks, which are generally bordering forest, how some youth whom tent in the lake area having alcohol, going over and chasing the elephants and panicking the herds just for the kicks. this is harmful I that not only do the poor animals have no means of drinking water peacefully but the panicked animals will run amok on another village., hence no good would come of this, but it is happening on a daily basis and something I have seen in my own eyes.


The tusker whom I am writing about, was hence found in an area of such turmoil, hence from the onset I know my search is not going to be easy. My search began in 2013, and after news of him coming out to the open in the dry season, I started travelling to this region on a regular basis. Usually we hired a jeep from a nearby national park, and traverse the many village roads, lakes and abandoned chena cultivation's, asking for information where the elephants were last seen, and if any noises can be heard from the forest such as breaking branches which are a clear sign of the pachyderms being nearby. But even if there were elephants nearby there is no guarantee that the tusker in question will be there. There are hundreds of elephants in this region, and to pinpoint this particular tusker is like finding a needle in a haystack. Despite all the obstacles ahead of me, I never gave up. I traveled so often in search of him that I have lost count. I do remember many an occasion where I have risked my own life to try and find this amazing bull. I can remember the time when we walked into a reed bed in search of him, and were hidden among the reeds where the herd of elephants surrounded us. We remained silent and calm until they went into the forest, but I realized this was too close for comfort and a risk I shouldn’t have taken.

 My first sighting in 2013
 Gajaba Running into the forest after seeing us in 2013
 My first sighting in 2013

But the yearning to see and photograph this magnificent bull kept me going. On one fateful day, we got news that he has been sighted on a lakebed and hence I took leave and immediately made our way to the area alone with a few other elephant enthusiasts. We waited for quite some time and at around 5 PM the herd started gradually coming out into the open. The elephants kept pouring out, from young calves to adolescent bulls trying to get the attention to the females as well as mature bull elephants. There were over 100 elephants in this herd, and around5-6 tuskers, of various sizes. This is a very rare occasion as only a few of the males in Sri Lanka have ivory. But my patience was wearing thin, and it was getting dark and we were about to walk back when we were told from some others nearby that the tusker is slowly coming out into the open. We waiting and out he came, but it was so dark my camera back them was unable to capture anything significant. But the bull was magnificent, which amazing muscular body and log tusks. He walked parallel to us, and as soon as he came in front of us, he stopped, turned towards us, gave a good look and ran back in. He is very shy by nature and this is the reason he has survived so log without getting killed. I was nevertheless in awe, and amazed at finally seeing him, but of course wasn't 100 percent happy as the images I wanted didn't materialize. I was determined to see him again, and hence continued on my quest for many years to come. But so many times I either missed him by a few minutes or was a little too early and hence this mythical tusker kept evading me for all these years.


Finally in 2016, I went once more, with a blind hope that I had since 2013, with the sense that I will see this magnificent bull tusker, perhaps the last of his kind in terms of genetics producing such a large physique.

We went into a massive lake bed, hoping he would show up there. There were few elephants out in the open, but the big bull was nowhere to be seen, then we got a call from one of my trusty trackers that he’s in a lake closely. hence using our hired jeep we traversed via bumpy roads and made our own path sometimes over abandoned paddy fields etc to finally make it to the lake. And there he was in the edge partially hidden it he forest. He was with a few younger elephants. and after we came there, he went inside the forest. We waited patiently and after a few minutes the bull slowly stepped out. His full size and majesty was out for everyone to see. The local villagers having baths in the lake were equally amazed by the tuskers size and majestic appearance as he was strutting around clearly in full musth. He was showing particular interest in a female, but she was so small, and was almost half his size. If she is in heat he will continue to follow her till he gets the chance to mate with her. This was finally the moment where all my years of travelling and suffering with thousands upon thousands of rupees spent are rewarded with this amazing sighting which I will never forget for the rest of my life.





After many hours spend admiring this spectacle, we decided to head back home, full of memories and the small hope that this bull will continue to paws on his genera and remained free to roam the lands of Lanka till his drying day.
Few years later, once again, we got news of his appearance in a village tank, and I had just finished guiding a client in Wilpattu, and decided to head over the area where hes been seen with my trusty safari driver.

Reaching the area, I met up with my local friend and headed to the lake where hes said to have been seen. When I arrived there were a few photographers from Colombo already there and waiting for him. I crouched down and crawled upto a small embankment, and on the other side of this was a small herd of elephants, and our friend Gajaba among them. He was feeding peacefully and strolling among the herd while in musth seeking out any receptive females.

We spent the entire evening with him and the herd, and it was simply magical. I noticed how comfortable hes got over the years since I first saw him to the presence of people, as he was completely at ease with our presence.






It was also heartwarming to see a very young tusker, almost 1/10th his size playing by his feet. The future generation of giant tuskers from this region is secure if we choose to protect it. Sadly this was a village lake and as such this whole region truly has no complete protected space for these majestic giants. Hence it is an eternal struggle for over 200 elephants in this region to survive in this shrinking habitat.




 Unless drastic measures are taken to establish protected areas and proper demarcations of land , it is most likely tuskers like Gajaba and all the other elephants outside national parks will meet a quick and agonizing demise.