A day inside an elephant reserve with Mama

A village near the elephant reserve 

With one local firewood collector, we had planned to visit the Elephant Reserve. We reached his house around 9:30 am; it was an overcast day. He was sitting on a stool in front of his house and sharpening his hand saw. One of his neighbors was fixing some bamboo sticks in the rack of a bicycle. While pumping air in the tubes of his bike, Bhodro Mama introduces his neighbor to us. We had a little chat with them about the coming election. His daughter-in-law prepared tea for all of us. Before starting the trip to the elephant reserve, she handed him a bag and a small saucepan.

In the foothills of the Himalayas-

They took their bicycles, and we used our bikes to reach the edge of the jungle. After hiding our bikes under some bushes near a stream, we proceeded towards the Guinejia Hills. Five minutes later, we found ourselves next to a hill. The hill was steep, and the thick undergrowth forced Mama to take a hill stream to advance.

It was a slow and relaxed uphill journey for us because Bhodro Mama and the other person had already started cutting dry tree branches on the way.

After about ten-fifteen minutes, we reached a leveled plateau. Apurba took out his still-camera from the kit; he screamed, ‘ This place is full of butterflies!’ The other person who came with Bhodro Mama decided to stay there to collect his share of firewoods for the day.

Apurba took photographs of eight different kinds of butterflies within that small plateau. Raja and I tried our best to capture the beauty of that place. While we were busy with our cameras, Bhodro Mama left us behind.

The Kameng-Sonitpur Elephant Reserve (KSER)

Maybe half an hour later, we heard a noise on the top left corner of the hill. A noise alerted us; something crashed on the ground. For a moment, I was worried because a few days ago, a herd of wild elephants was roaming in the area! 

This forest is a part of the Kameng-Sonitpur Elephant Reserve (KSER); we are is in the northern hill forests of Assam- Arunachal Pradesh border in India, the total area of the elephant reserve is about 7500 sq. km.

 Bhodro Mama’s companion yelled, ‘Bhodro..kaiee…’ The reply came from the same spot where we heard the noise. He was about 120 feet above us. We realized he was cutting firewoods in that place, and perhaps a dry tree branch crashed to the ground.

We tried to find his track to go near him, but we couldn’t locate the exact path he took. Half an hour later, he appeared with a heavy bunch of dry branches on his shoulder. He dropped the huge load near the stream and told us to wait for some more time. He said he had to gather some more branches. We urged him to take us along. He allowed us to follow him. The slope was steep, and the soil was loose, so he advised us to be careful.

Jungle survival- The jungle is the only place that can support him.

We reached the spot where Bhodro Mama was. The place is on the slope of the hill. He pointed towards some tree stamps and told us, ‘ A few years ago, this place (the elephant reserve) was full of valuable trees.’ We noticed a fruit tree near the site and asked him the name of the fruit. He told us it is ‘Bandor Dima, it looks like oranges but not edible.’

I asked him many questions while he was cutting dried tree branches with his saw.

Bhodro Mama has five members in his family. Son is a masonry worker. One of his grandsons is pursuing a technical course at Tezpur. Their family expenses are increasing. He said, ‘A cup of tea cost 10 rupees at Tezpur’.  

After losing his job at the goat farm, he had nothing to do. So he decided to collect firewood from the forest to sustain his family. He stated jungle is the only place that can support him.

He collected around 4-5 long dry branches in the area, and he harvested some broom grass from the edge of the hill. Gathering broom grass on the hill slope is quite risky. Using both hands to cut the grass requires balance on the steep slope.

According to Mama, the elephant might give the forest a chance to regenerate itself! 

Around 3:30-p.m, we came back to the area where we hid our bikes. They had brought several long dry branches to the place. Now it was time to chop those branches in small sections to carry them utilizing their bicycles.  

Bhodro said he always brings enough branches to make at least 60 bundles of firewood. He trades those at Chariduar for 10 rupees a bundle. He told us that he would make a nice broom from the broom grass he collected today and sell it for 50 rupees. He was happy because, on this trip, he would be able to earn about 650 rupees.

While cutting those branches, I asked him what he thinks about the future of the jungle. Bhodro Mama became anxious for a moment; then he said he feels sad when he thinks about the future. According to him, all the magnificent trees of the jungle had disappeared. Fascinating birds and animals like Hornbills and Lajuli Bandor (Slow loris) are also disappearing from the place. 

But suddenly, he became passionate about the forest. He started describing the forest and the animals through his stories. He shared a few personal stories with us. Mama was animated while he was telling us those stories.  

He said the jungle is now void of tall trees, as people have removed all the tall trees. It has altered the composition of the forest. Now the jungle is full of shrubs and thorny creepers. Some animals and birds can live in such a jungle, but not all.

 A jungle full of thick shrubs and thorny creepers is not safe for people to harvest firewood or other forest products, especially if there is a herd of elephants. He said it might be a good opportunity for the forest to regenerate itself. 

We need to leave this place before dark! 

We were hungry so, Apurba started preparing some noodles for us. Mama and his companion were not interested in noodles. They told us we need to leave this place before dark.

At around 4:30-p.m, we all came out from the jungle and reached an open field near a stream. They halted in the place and opened their food boxes to eat.