Daroji Bear Sanctuary (2019)

Having been to many wildlife sanctuaries including the Rann where kiangs roam, I was pleasantly surprised to find a signage for Daroji bear sanctuary en route to Hampi. Tiger or elephant sanctuaries sprawl across central and southern India as well as the Himalayan foothills. Even Asiatic lions have a cozy home in Gir and rhinos in Kaziranga, but this was the first time I came across a reserve exclusively for bears.

After a couple of days wandering through Hampi’s magnificent ruins, I drove to Daroji in the afternoon. It was a lovely drive from my resort, through rural roads and scrubland. The setting sun sent shafts of gold in which dust mites danced seductively. The rays set the rocks alight. The landscape was rocky and barren with a few reluctant tufts of green peeking out of the cracks in the rock.

A winding but gentle climb brings you to a canopied viewpoint furnished with a crooked bench offering dress circle views of the valley below. Just as well, for the bears did not seem ready to put in an appearance until the auditorium was full. Three more visitors trickle in and the bench is finally fully occupied. My camera is mounted on a fully-extended tripod, its 400mm lens trained on the distant rock where the forest guards have left five kilos of jaggery. Bears would have preferred honey, but would reluctantly nibble some jaggery if sufficiently hungry.

After what seemed an interminable wait, two sloth bears ambled into view, mother and an adolescent cub. The cub couldn’t care less for the jaggery, but the mother played with the lump for a while before tasting it. A few macaques made a dash for the jaggery when the bear’s attention was diverted. A couple of peacocks dance in the distance. I was told there were occasional leopard sightings too, but I did not see any. The distance was too great for even my 400 mm lens to get a good view of the gamboling cub. I stayed till dusk envelopes the valley and reluctantly make my way back to the car.