Friends in High Places
The southern third of Nepal is known as the Terai. It is the fertile flat plain below the Himalayas that constitutes the northern edge of the Indian continent. It can get hot in the Terai and absent of a winter freeze cycle the climate is sub tropic. I have travelled to Chitwan National Park, a world heritage sight for its wildlife, including elephant tiger, rhino, croc…, Its hard to imagine that a few days ago I was actually cold in Kathmandu.
The General Manager of the Cooperative partner organization I am working with is Kumar Dahal and he says he ‘knows someone’ who can get us good lodging and advice. We take him up on it.
Basu Bidari is Kumar’s cousin and has been associated as a guide in the park for over 15 years. ‘You don’t have much time but if you want tomorrow I will take you hiking on a good trail to see some birds’. Not as exciting for Praveen but I am a budding birder so- good for me! Later we spin by the Elephant birthing center and on arrival find that a wild male has broken into the compound to mate with one of the females. These animals can be incredibly aggressive when they are courting, and everone provides adequate space.
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| Guards for Poachers- a problem in Chitwan for illegal harvesting of Rhinos used in Chinese medicine. |
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| Basu the birder and me |
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| Bull that has broken into compound- very dangerous in this state |
