More than a forest… a miracle
The Sanjay Gandhi National Park is a vital source of water for the city of Mumbai, with the Tulsi and Vihar lakes located within its protected confines. Dr. Anish Andheria has known this city-forest intimately for several years and writes here of its magical systems and the species that combine to make it one of the world’s most unique wilderness areas.
Sudden incessant bonnet macaque alarm calls broke the silence of an otherwise calm winter morning. “Leopard,” I whispered to my group members gesturing them to sit by the edge of the road. A couple of minutes passed, the calls continued, but no leopard appeared. Without taking my eyes off the road, I signalled to the others to be patient. Moments later a full-grown female leopard made her appearance on the road less than 50 m. from us. In typical leopard fashion, she took a couple of steps, stood, turned her head to survey her surroundings, looked straight at us, then crouched before ambling away in the opposite direction to vanish into the thick forest.
Far from some tale in Kipling’s Jungle Book, this was a routine 10-minute time capsule in a most accessible, unrivalled wilderness, located in the heart of densely-populated Mumbai.
The Sanjay Gandhi National Park
The Sanjay Gandhi National Park is a vital source of water for the city of Mumbai, with the Tulsi and Vihar lakes located within its protected confines. Dr. Anish Andheria has known this city-forest intimately for several years and writes here of its magical systems and the species that combine to make it one of the world’s most unique wilderness areas.
Sudden incessant bonnet macaque alarm calls broke the silence of an otherwise calm winter morning. “Leopard,” I whispered to my group members gesturing them to sit by the edge of the road. A couple of minutes passed, the calls continued, but no leopard appeared. Without taking my eyes off the road, I signalled to the others to be patient. Moments later a full-grown female leopard made her appearance on the road less than 50 m. from us. In typical leopard fashion, she took a couple of steps, stood, turned her head to survey her surroundings, looked straight at us, then crouched before ambling away in the opposite direction to vanish into the thick forest.
Far from some tale in Kipling’s Jungle Book, this was a routine 10-minute time capsule in a most accessible, unrivalled wilderness, located in the heart of densely-populated Mumbai.
The Sanjay Gandhi National Park
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