In no other place on Earth can you witness the remarkable and unique spectacle of fully grown leopards co-existing in close and harmonious proximity with human beings.
Leopards slouch on the massive boulders that make up the rocky hills of Jawai, Rajasthan. The land is dry, covered with thorny bushes, and there are villages strewn between the hills. Leopards are often found just yards from farm houses, wheat fields, animal paddocks. But the good folk of Jawai go about their business as if the leopards are not even there.
For reasons steeped in religion, the villagers believe it wrong to kill leopards. There is no rational basis for this belief, whatsoever. In fact, as dog owners and herders of cattle and goats they regularly pay dearly for their superstition, because their pets and livestock make up the bulk of the diet of the roughly 60 leopards that live in the rocky hills of Jawai.
A government's programme to compensate farmers for livestock taken by the leopards is completely unnecessary. Only a few Clever Trevors exploit the programme - more on that below - as everyone else in Jawai believe that any goat or dog or cow taken by a leopard is a sacrifice to the gods, so therefore, surely, a good thing. The leopards are safe, with or without a government programme.
In fact, the leopards help to solve the growing problem of excess bulls in rural India. Bulls no longer serve any purpose following the introduction of mechanised agriculture, but for religious reasons they cannot be killed, eaten, or even exported. As their numbers grow, they put pressure on water and grazing resources in this semi-desert region.
It is therefore quite convenient when the leopards kill the odd bull in a way that does not offend the gods. A small number of smarter villagers in Jawai have realised that this can be good business. When the leopards ‘accidentally’ kill a bull, they unlock government compensation, while the precious dogs and goats and female cows of the village get to live on as the leopards feast on bully beef instead. The gods are happy too.
Visitors to Jawai, most of whom are Indian, stay at Bera Safari Lodge. Bera’s cooks make delicious homemade Indian food thrice daily and at night the waiters light bonfires in the courtyard and serve you under the stars.
Bera Safari Lodge maintains a small fleet of Suzuki Maruti Gypsy safari vehicles. Highly qualified guides take guests on game drives twice a day to see the leopards. Ask for Rururaj Patil, who is an awesome guide for the serious nature lover.
What is perhaps less well known is that safaris offer much besides leopards. As in so many other parts of Rajasthan, the key to everything is access to water. A dam nearby traps the waters of the Jawai River in a huge reservoir that ultimately sustains all life in this desert region. Crocodiles line the shores of the lake and countless bird species – from White Pelicans to Himalayan Goose – are regularly seen flying over the mirror-like surface. Expect encounters with Painted Storks, Indian Grey Fox, Golden Jackal, Sloth Bear, Wild Boar, Chinkara, Nilgai, Crocodiles, and many, many other creatures. Views of the lake and the hills beyond are jaw dropping (see pictures below).
For more on Bera Safari Lodge see: https://www.berasafarilodge.com/
