On the Search for Leopards and Hyenas
Tracking Trails
They say if you’ve spotted a leopard or a hyena once, they’ve already spotted you 10 times.
Tracking wildlife is an art that requires patience and finely tuned observation skills. Our in-house Naturalist and Utsav Camp Rangers track wildlife in the area on a daily basis.
Choose from either our leopard or hyena tracking trails and join our in-house naturalist who will show you how to look out for and identify paw marks and follow best practices to observe wildlife in their natural habitat. While sightings cannot be guaranteed, our experienced team will bring you the best chances and best practices to observe these noble beasts in the wild.
There are few experiences that can compare to the meditative exuberance of being completely present, focused and fully absorbed in nature.
Hyena Trail
The striped hyena is a species of hyena native to North and East Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent. It’s estimated that there are under 5,000 mature hyenas left in the world and they have been deemed as ‘near-threatened.‘ In India, striped hyenas can be found in Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Uttar Pradesh.
Unlike hyenas in other parts of the world that live and travel in packs, the striped hyena is solitary animal and lives either alone or paired with its mate. They are monogamous animals and the father helps the mother create a den and raise their cubs together. They are most active after dark and can be spotted at dusk as they emerge to scavenge for their meal or near dawn as they return to their dens to rest.
Our rangers have spotted a number of hyenas in the boulders surrounding Utsav Camp and regularly track them to learn more about their territory and habits.
Join our in-house naturalist to track the hyena trail and learn more about this elusive beast.
Leopard Trail
Leopards are solitary, nocturnal, large cats known for their stealth and speed. Leopards can reach speeds of up to 58km per hour, jump straight up to heights of approximately 3 meters, and leap across an expanse of 6 meters with ease and grace.
These majestic beasts prefer not to share their territories with tigers that are prevalent on the main routes in Sariska Tiger Reserve and instead can be found in the buffer zone area around Sariska National Park and the boulders surrounding Utsav Camp Sariska. In Sariska Tiger Reserve, where tigers are prevalent inside the main park and routes, resource partitioning occurs and the few leopards in the park tend to take smaller prey, leaving bigger prey for tigers.
Leopards are exemplary, primal hunters that are remarkably adept at stalking their prey. A leopard can sneak up to its prey in very close range without ever being detected and leap quickly into action.
When they are spotted in the forest, the langurs and macaques will flee up to the trees and call out alarm sounds to alert nearby animals. The macaques will have to climb up far as leopards are known to lounge in tree branches and often carry up their prey so they don’t have to share their hard-earned meal with anyone!
While notoriously elusive and difficult to spot, our on-site naturalists and Utsav Camp rangers regularly track leopards in the area with patience, discipline and tracking cameras to stay apprised of their routines and habitat.
Join our naturalist and rangers on this exclusive leopard tracking trail to share the magic of bearing witness to this majestic beast in the wild.
Things to Know
Number of Guests:
1-4
Meals:
No Meals, Filtered Water
Pets:
Pets are not allowed on tracking trails for their safety and to avoid distracting wildlife.
Accompanied by Utsav Camp Naturalist:
Yes
