Tag Archives: Conservation

International Tiger Day Special: Stripes on our Sleeves at SUJÁN

July 29, 2018Big Cats, Book, Conservation, CSR, Design, History, Holiday, Legends of Ranthambhore, Leopard, Photography, Rajasthan, Ranthambhore, Relais & Chateaux, Safari, Sher Bagh, SUJAN, Tiger, Travel, Wildlife, Yusuf Ansari8th International Tiger Day, Anjali Singh, Big Cats, Conservation, earth, incredible, Incredible India, India, International Tiger Day, Jaisal Singh, legacy of wildlife conservation, natural realm, NGO, notably tigers. Jaisal, our Sleeves, post-tiger world, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Ranthambhore, Sher Bagh, SUJAN, SUJÁN family, The Tiger’s Realm, Tiger, Tiger Watch, tiger’s natural habitat, tourism, wild animals, wildernesses, Wildlife, wildscapes, Yusuf Ansari, ZalimYusuf Ansari

“We were at Sher Bagh enjoying a scrumptious Eggs Benedict when there was a crackle on my wireless. A tiger was reportedly seen some fifty yards from the farmhouse in a cluster of dhok trees just moments before. We grabbed our cameras and rushed there in our ’42 Ford jeep to find Stan – a dear friend from England – and Yusuf standing in their dressing gowns, blissfully unaware while they sipped their chhota-hazri on the patio of the house. After warning them, we drove the jeep off track to find this large male, who we named Zalim…”

Ranthambhore, The Tiger’s Realm. Anjali and Jaisal Singh and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra

My Road to JAWAI

July 7, 2018Big Cats, Conservation, CSR, Design, Festivals, Food, History, Holiday, JAWAI, JAWAI Leopard Camp, Leopard, Photography, Rajasthan, Relais & Chateaux, Safari, SUJAN, Tiger, WildlifeArabian Sea, armoured tank, automobile engineer, Bhatkal, camaraderie, code of discipline, Conservation, culture, drafting engineer, experience, failure, fauna and flora, Forest, Hubli, Indian Army, Junior Ranger, Karnataka, Learning, Monsoon, perfection learning, petro-chemical companies, Rajasthan, Ranger of the Year Award, Safari Life’, SUJAN, SUJAN JAWAI, tall teak trees, tracking leopards, trekking, vast, Western Ghats, Wilderness, Wildlifeshantharam pai

Those of you who have been fortunate enough to have visited SUJÁN JAWAI will have had a deep interest in this wilderness coupled with a curiosity for discovering a unique culture. Growing up in Karnataka, little did I know that I would one day be living and working in this unique part of Rajasthan, in wildlife with SUJÁN. An organisation which has taught me the value of putting conservation before anything else and given me a home, very far away from where I belong.

The SUJÁN Life, means Conservation First!

March 23, 2018Big Cats, Conservation, CSR, Design, History, Holiday, JAWAI, JAWAI Leopard Camp, Photography, Rajasthan, Relais & Chateaux, Safari, SUJAN, Travel, Wildlife, Yusuf Ansariacclaimed, award, Awards, community development, Conservation, conservation initiatives, extraordinary efforts, initiatives, prestigious, recognise, SUJAN, SUJAN JAWAI, Wildlife, wildlife conservation, winner, ZeissYusuf Ansari

The Zeiss Wildlife Conservation Awards recognise extraordinary efforts and initiatives for the cause of wildlife conservation. This year, SUJÁN is proud to be among the winners of this prestigious and acclaimed award for the conservation initiatives and community development at SUJÁN JAWAI.

Exploring India’s Wild Side

February 9, 2018Big Cats, Book, Conservation, CSR, Design, Festivals, Food, Guest, Guest Blog, History, Holiday, JAWAI, JAWAI Leopard Camp, Photography, Rajasthan, Ranthambhore, Recipe, Relais & Chateaux, Safari, Sher Bagh, SUJAN, Tiger, Travel, Wildlifeadventure in India, California, Conservation, ecosystem, Explore India, Forest Department, forts, GeoEx, Guest sighting. Photography, guests, History, humans, JAWAI, Kenya, landscapes, luxury safari camp, NGO, palaces, Rabari, rangers, Ranthambhore, Shepherds, Sher Bagh, Starla Estrada, travelers, wild animals, Wild Side, Wilderness, Wildlife, wildlife guidesGuest

Author: Starla Estrada

I embarked on my first India trip with a focus befitting my Africa travel roots: wildlife and wilderness, tribal culture, and music. By the end of my trip, I’d added a number of remarkable experiences to my adventures-of-a-lifetime list:

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Winter is Coming and it is a Game of Droves

October 26, 2017Book, Conservation, History, Holiday, JAWAI, JAWAI Leopard Camp, Photography, Rajasthan, Relais & Chateaux, Safari, SUJAN, Travel, WildlifeAnser indicus, Bar-headed Goose, Birdlife, Birds, Ciraetus gallicus, Conservation, Dalmatian Pelican, Eurasian Hobby, Falco subbuteo, Flight, Greater Flamingo, Grus Antigone, JAWAI, Jawai Bandh, Migratory birds, Ornithology, Osprey, Pandion haliaetus, Pelecanus crispus, Philomachus pugnax, Phoenicopterus roseus, Rajasthan, Ruff, Sarus Crane, Short-toed Snake Eagle, Travel, Twitcher, Wilderness, Wings, Winter is ComingWilliam Asquith

A few days ago, JAWAI and the rest of India celebrated Diwali with characteristic gusto. Occurring on the cusp of summer and winter Diwali is also a reminder that winter is coming and it is a game of droves as the cooler temperatures attract a whole range of birdlife that migrates to Rajasthan, and Jawai. Predators, waterfowl and other kinds come roving to the Jawai Bandh and its surrounding scrubland. So here is a list of some of our favourite winter visitors:

In Jawai, Where the Hills have Names…

June 29, 2017Big Cats, Conservation, CSR, History, Holiday, JAWAI, JAWAI Leopard Camp, Photography, Rajasthan, Recipe, Relais & Chateaux, Safari, SUJAN, Travel, Wildlife, Yusuf AnsariAdventure, Aravalli Hills, Community, Conservation, culture, goats and sheep, historic culture, Hyena, India, JAWAI, JAWAI Leopard Camp, Jeep, Leopards, name, Photography, Rabari, Rajasthan, Ranger, Relais & Chateaux, Safari, Shepherds, spiritual, SUJAN, Temple, Travel, Wilderness, WildlifeYusuf Ansari

“We simply need that wild country available to us, even if we never do more than drive to its edge and look in. For it can be a means of reassuring ourselves of our sanity as creatures, a part of the geography of hope.”

– Wallace Stegner, 1980

LONDOLOZI Despatch: Part II

June 1, 2017Big Cats, Conservation, CSR, JAWAI, Londolozi, Photography, Rajasthan, Ranthambhore, Relais & Chateaux, Safari, Sher Bagh, SUJAN, Tiger, Travel, WildlifeAfrica, BigCats, Conservation, ConservationTourism, Female Leopard, giraffe, India, Jeeps, Learning, LiveSafari, Londolozi, Nkuveni, PlanetEarth, Ranthambhore, Relais&Chateaux, RelaisChateauxAfrica, SabiSands, Safari, safari camps, Sher Bagh, South Africa, Trackers, Vedant Thite, white rhino, Wilderness, Wildlife, WildlifeTourism, William Asquith, zebraVedant Thite

Tracker Academy Blog

We head out with Bright (one of our trainers at Tracker Academy) in a Land Rover. Scanning for tracks we were going pick up Renias Mhlongo (one of South Africa’s renowned trackers and a trainer at the academy). En route, a leopard leaps out of a bush and seizes an impala from its herd, literally fifteen feet away from our vehicle. By the time we realise what just happened, the leopard (a female) had successfully killed and dragged the impala to the base of a tree. Bright, also stunned with the suddenness of the sighting drives us into the thicket to try and get a closer view of the leopard. In the middle of all this, two hyenas stroll by, possibly attracted by the commotion the impalas created as they witnessed one of their herd snatched by the subtle predator. Relying on their highly acute sense of smell, the hyenas manage to locate immediately the trench in which the carcass and leopard lay under the shade of an acacia. As soon as the leopard hears the hyenas approaching, she bolts, disappearing into the bush and leaving her hard-earned food behind. Within seconds the two hyenas had mangled the impala and erratically tore off its lifeless limbs in a savage frenzy. I will not and cannot for all of our sakes describe the sound of the joints popping out of their sockets or the crack of the bones as they manically devoured the corpse. They laughed in their characteristic way as they competed for the last ounce of flesh and after a mere 20 minutes, the impala was gone.

Read More LONDOLOZI Despatch: Part II »

LONDOLOZI Despatch: Part I

May 25, 2017Big Cats, Conservation, CSR, JAWAI, Londolozi, Photography, Relais & Chateaux, Safari, Sher Bagh, SUJAN, Travel, WildlifeAfrica, BigCats, Conservation, ConservationTourism, Female Leopard, giraffe, India, Jeeps, Learning, LiveSafari, Londolozi, Nkuveni, PlanetEarth, Ranthambhore, Relais&Chateaux, RelaisChateauxAfrica, SabiSands, Safari, safari camps, Sher Bagh, South Africa, Trackers, Vedant Thite, white rhino, Wilderness, Wildlife, WildlifeTourism, zebraWilliam Asquith

Vedant Thite and William Asquith, both Rangers from the JAWAI and Sher Bagh Field Teams respectively send their first despatch from the Londolozi Private Game Reserve, where they are attending a three-week training course over the summer. Over the next few weeks we will follow their progress and adventures as they report on their experiences from the African Bush! Stay tuned…

The titchy cat of JAWAI

April 20, 2017Big Cats, Design, Photography, Relais & Chateaux, SUJAN, WildlifeConservation, JAWAI, JAWAI Leopard Camp, Photography, SUJAN, WildlifeVedant Thite

The Rusty-spotted cat Prionailurus rubiginosus is one rare cat which we occasionally encounter at JAWAI. Also called the ‘humming bird’ of the cat world, not just for its small size — at just over a foot, it’s about half the size of the domestic cat — but also because it is extremely agile and active. They have been described as abundant in some parts of India, and have been observed close to and within villages.

A Walk Through the Seasons at Sher Bagh

March 23, 2017Big Cats, Guest Blog, Photography, Rajasthan, Ranthambhore, Relais & Chateaux, Sher Bagh, SUJAN, Tiger, WildlifeBig Cats, Cheetal, Conservation, Deer, forests, Game drives, Incredible India, India, Lakes, National Parks, Photography, Rajasthan, Ranthambhore, Ranthambhore National Park, Ranthambore, Safari, Sher Bagh, William AsquithGuest

Rajasthan was gifted with a very wet monsoon season last year: Ranthambhore’s verdant nature had returned and the wildlife rediscovered their Arcadia. In October, as you meandered through the jungle, you were able to witness the park’s rebirth, the dhok trees flourishing in their senility, the grass long, thick and lush and the network of water channels flowing full. This allows wildlife to disperse throughout the park and the numerous watering holes scattered around the area were full for cheetal, or sambar deer to quench their thirst and leafy groves for nilgai antelope to browse and feast upon.