Pic : Gowreesh K

Karnataka state government declared 5,587 acres of Bilikallu Reserve Forest as Daroji Bear Sanctuary in 1994 to protect the bear. The sloth bear population is today estimated about 120. They live in the naturally formed caves in the rocky mountains which are surrounded by dense forest.

Pic : Gowreesh K

We climbed up to the watch tower of the sanctuary from where the entire view of the sanctuary greeted us . As we looked into the vast expanse, we saw small black dots like pepper moving on rocks.The bears were walking around , blissfully unaware of us gazing at them in awe. Identifying them is like playing a game of hide and seek as they dart behind the rocks and emerge out of a thorny bush.

Pic : Gowreesh K

We learn a bit more about the bears from our guide Pampayya Swamy . These bears which live only in India and Srilanka are one of the 8 species of bears. “Look carefully at their chest and you can see a V or U shaped white strip ,” says Swamy adding that they can smell accurately even though their eyes may not be very powerful. “But be careful, they are very dangerous.. they can smell you or even hear you, they will usually run away , but will charge if they feel threatened” he murmurs.

Sloth bears love fruits and jackfruit is their favourite, says Swamy. I am reminded of Jungle Book as Swamy continues “These guys are always noisy while eating, can hear the sound up to 100 meters.”

Pic : Gowreesh K

The mating season is just over and slowly by winter, the sanctuary will be filled with cute hairless cubs who are born blind and will remain so for at least 3 weeks. The cubs need their mother for at least a couple of years before they are on their own and interestingly we are told that the bears have a life span of 40-50 years .

Pic : Gowreesh K

The silence is punctuated by the calls of the other animals & birds. Besides sloth bear the peacocks are well populated here – you can hear a song of peacock and the other birds all the time . Daroji is also home to leopards, hyenas, jackals, star tortoise, monitor lizards, mongoose, porcupines and birds like pea fowls, partridges, painted Spur hens and quails . Swamy who helped to identify the birds told us that close to 90 species of birds and 30 varieties of butterflies flit around here.

Pic : Gowreesh K

We trek into the forest and see some bears at close quarters..they gaze at us for a while before disappearing into the caves . It is amazing and terrifying .to see the wild animals in their natural habitat , while we are on outside our turf. For a moment , I thought the world of Jungle Book had come alive and I was Mowgli coming back home..to the wild

How to reach

By Road: Bangalore to Chitradurga (199 kms) on NH-4, then to Hospet (135 Kms) on NH-13. And then to Kamalapura (12 Kms)-which is 10 Kms from the Sanctuary. It is 15 kms from Hampi.

By Rail: Nearest railway station is Hospet where trains from Bangalore and Hubli are accessible.

The famous wildlife photographer & ex MLA Y.M. Gorpade is played a major role in declaring this place as a sanctuary . Jungle Lodges is planning to develop the sanctuary into a tourist destination. There is only a guest house available which has tented accomodation . You could do it as a day trip as well from Hampi . Pampayya Swamy who is a guide and naturalist will also organise the trip and can be contacted at 09449136252. The best season is between August to April .Summer can be very hot though.

Pic : Gowreesh K