The Small 7
Singular Species
The Small 7 Species of India
Most of them are native to our jungles, and several are endemic and critically endangered.
At Encounters Asia we’ve made it our passion to observe these species over generations. When you safari with us across the different jungles of India, it’s an awe-inspiring experience, as you get close to these magnificent creatures in their native habitat.
Red Panda
(Ailurus fulgens)
In Sikkim, Darjeeling, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya, the bamboo grows thick and the forest canopy is dense.
Lion Tailed Macaque
(Macaca Silenus)
As you wander through the dense forests in the Western Ghats, you may be taken aback by a leaping primate that bounds through the tree-tops at alarming speed.
Black Buck
(Antilope cervicapra)
With their long, corkscrew horns, black & white markings, and lithe bodies, the Blackbuck is a distinctive creature.
Wild Ass
(Equus hemionus khur)
Unlike the African continent, India has no zebras. But the closest we come to it is the Wild Ass, an equine creature, that inhabits a few far-flung pockets of the country.
Jungle Cat
(Felis Chaus)
As dusk falls over the jungle, you might spot a cat with glowing yellow eyes streak across your line of sight.
The Striped Hyaena
(Hyaena Hyaena)
The Striped Hyaena is native to India, and related to its spotted African cousin. Demonised by a series of bizarre superstitions, particularly in Rajasthan.
Lion Tailed Macaque (Macaca Silenus)
As you wander through the dense forests in the Western Ghats, you may be taken aback by a leaping primate that bounds through the tree-tops at alarming speed. It’s shaggy, silvery mane, enormous tail, and sharp teeth. LionTailed Macaques are Old World monkeys. They’re picky creatures and only live in pockets of the forest, in which they feel a sense of familiarity with the environment and the food.
They’ll often stay in the tree canopy, without setting foot on the ground, for months on end. You’ll usually find these macaques in troops numbering around 15-25, and males usually have a large harem of females in their wake. The young are nurtured throughout their childhood by their mothers, until they become sub-adults.
One usually spots them in the dense jungles of south India, in the Annamalai hills in Tamil Nadu and Kerala and the Nilgiri Biosphere.
Annamalai Tiger Sanctuary, Periyar, and Silent Valley are some of our favourite places to see these creatures in action. Chances are that you’ll find them feasting on jackfruit or wild durian, or foraging leaves and berries. To catch a Lion-Tailed Macaque in mid-leap is a beautiful sight is a photo-op of lifetime. As they fly across the tree-tops, their silver manes and tails flaring out, they seem almost magical.
Black Buck (Antilope cervicapra)
With their long, corkscrew horns, black & white markings, and lithe bodies, the Blackbuck is a distinctive creature. In recent years, it’s also become a mascot for wildlife conservation in western India, particularly Rajasthan and Gujarat, which have their own sub-species called Antilope cervicaprarajputanae. Swift and agile, it’s native to India and Nepal. One usually finds it in grassy and thinly forested areas, near water.
Blackbuck are often found in herds and we love to observe these graceful creatures in the Blackbuck Sanctuary in Velavadar, Gujarat. The open grassland and dry climate is ideal for these creatures. You can capture that startled “deer in the headlights” look with your lens, before they streak off at a fast run. Kanha National Park is also another great place to spot these beautiful creatures and capture them on camera, as they dart across the open meadows.
One frequently spots them in the Western Rajasthan as well, and you can often spot them leaping gracefully across the ground in the wilderness bordering Jodhpur.
In fact, local tribes like the Bishnois, consider it a sacred creature and protect both the animal and its habitat. Several spiritualists and tribes consider it a holy animal, and there are several mentions of it in Hindu scripture. From the days of Indus Valley civilization, blackbuck was hunted for its meat and its hide until it almost went extinct.
In the old days, kings used to hunt the Blackbuck with highly trained Cheetahs. Ironically, the Cheetah is now extinct, while the Blackbuck has survived. Today, it is a heavily protected species, and immense conservation efforts have brought the numbers back to West, Central and South Indian forests.
Wild Ass (Equus hemionus khur)
Unlike the African continent, India has no zebras. But the closest we come to it is the Wild Ass, an equine creature, that inhabits a few far-flung pockets of the country. It is a sub-species of the Onager, which is found in some parts of India, Pakistan and Iran. Compact & muscular, this animal is one of the fastest moving in the world. It can run at speeds of around 70 km per hour, and often outruns our jeep when we head out for a game drive!
Our naturalists are well-versed in the ways of the Wild Ass and usually approach it slowly, so that it doesn’t get spooked. Getting up close to a Wild Ass is a rare thing, as the minute you come too near they dart off. It loves open ground and one of the places where you’ll see herds of them racing towards the horizon is on the stark salt flats in Little Rann of Kutch.
IUCN lists it as a near-threatened species, and there are only a few numbers left of this particular sub-species, which is endemic to this arid region.
Every monsoon season, the Little Rann of Kutch floods, and all that is left above ground are smaller, mounds of earth that protrude from the ground like islands. During this period, the Wild Ass forages off the meagre vegetation on these bets, leaping from one island to the next, in search of food. The Wild Ass live in harmony with the tribal nomads who roam through the Little Rann of Kutch with their livestock. Sometimes, the Wild Ass will make its way into a tribal settlement or a village to forage for food, but by and large, they are wary creatures and will run a mile the minute you get near.
Jungle Cat (Felis Chaus)
As dusk falls over the jungle, you might spot a cat with glowing yellow eyes streak across your line of sight. This is theJungle Cat, a medium sized feline that inhabits several forests in India. Prolific across India and West Asia and even parts of North Africa, the Jungle Cat is a compact creature. In India, the colour of its coat varies between a sandy brown all the way to dark grey.
Unlike some feline species, the Jungle Cat loves water and is an agile swimmer, diving into rivers to catch fish. You often find them in wetlands, or places where there is dense under growth. They are generally solitary hunters and eat rodents. However, during mating season you are likely to hear their loud shrieks and growls.Territorial males often fight with one another to show their dominance. Central India has a large population of these cats and you are extremely likely to spot them in parks like Pench, Satpura, Bandhavgarh and Panna.
The Striped Hyaena (Hyaena Hyaena)
The Striped Hyaena is native to India, and related to its spotted African cousin. Demonised by a series of bizarre superstitions, particularly in Rajasthan, the reality is that it’s a highly evolved and extremely intelligent creature, which is little studied and thoroughly misunderstood. It has a distinct and rather ungainly appearance. Its forelegs are much longer than its hind legs, and it has a “mane” that runs down its spine, which only adds its notoriety as the“witch’s steed” among the tribes and rural folk in western Rajasthan.
One of our favourite places to observe it in its natural habitat is in Velavadar in Gujarat or Siana in Rajasthan.This open grassland is full of small rodents that form its prey-base. That’s right, this Hyaena is not just a scavenger, it’s an omnivore. It hunts for itself and will even prey on sheep and cattle in neighbouring villages, but is equally likely to forage for gourds or melons.
If you come across a Hyaena’s den, chances are that you’ll find a little pile of skulls and bones, but the fact is that they are the “housekeepers” of the wild, removing carcasses and carrion from the forest floor.
Hyaenas hunt stealthily under the cover of darkness. In the winter months, the cloudless skies and cool climate of Gujarat and Rajasthan make it ideal to observe these creatures at work. Encounters Asia’s trackers and naturalists keep a close eye on their habits and movements, so that you can hone in on exactly where they are going to be.
In the Kutch region of Gujarat, they lie at the top of the food chain and have no natural predator. Therefore multiply uninhibited, but it’s interesting to observe that they raise their young in “community dens” where you’re likely to find more than one mother and her cubs.
The Himalayan Wolf (Canis Himalayensis)
This wolf is commonly called the Tibetan Wolf and inhabits in the upper reaches of the Himalayas. There’s been a lot of research conducted around its gene-pool recently, and its evolution can be traced back to an ancient lineage. These wolves are found in parts of Kashmir, Ladakh and the Lahaul Spiti valleys.
Hemis National Park, Dachigam, and Kibber are prime hunting grounds for the Himalayan wolf. A rare genetic mutation makes it the only wolf species in the world that survives at such high altitudes. It feeds on gazelles, marmots and other small creatures that inhabit this arid landscape.
The Himalayan Wolf and the Snow Leopard are both apex predators, but they co-exist with one another in the Trans-Himalayan region.
Although they are well-camouflaged against the snow, the Ulley Valley and Hemis National Park are the best places to catch a glimpse and a shot (with your camera, of course). These wolves don’t hunt alone, they usually run in small packs ranging from around 2-8 members. A mating pair is at the top of the hierarchy, and gets first rights to the carcass, after which the rest of the pack feasts off it. Sometimes, if you’re lucky, you can spot a pair of wolves loping off across the snow-covered ground.
