I struggled to keep warm on my first safari in Kaziranga National Park this February. With the cold breeze hitting my face, I felt my hands and nose going numb. But I was very excited. This would be my first time seeing the one-horned rhino in the wild.
Within a few minutes of entering the park by jeep, I was in awe of the splendid landscape: tall green grass, a few elephants grazing near a huge lake, wild buffaloes by the banks, and quite a few bar-headed geese landing on the water. But still, my anxious eyes kept searching for the rhinos. I wasn’t sure whether to click images or just enjoy the moment. I chose the latter.
After a while, I saw a rhinoceros emerge from the woods and walk towards us. That’s when I reached out for my camera and started taking a few photographs. But I wasn’t happy with what I was capturing. I couldn’t do justice to what I was seeing, so I waited for the right moment.
I spotted a tree beside us and anticipated that the rhino would walk up to it. I started visualising my frame. I had only a few seconds to take full advantage of the situation. The animal did walk up to the tree and, obligingly, stood still for few minutes before it made its way into the bushes. I had quite a few sighting of rhinos after this, but nothing could beat this one.
