New Delhi: Ratna Singh, 35, is a trailblazer who has debunked the myth that women cannot work with wild animals or live in forests. She is India’s first trained woman naturalist and wildlife guide, working in the field for nine years.
Currently a safari specialist and trainer with Taj Safaris, in 2006, Ratna had to undergo rigorous five-week selection process and physical training to compete with 500 applicants. Only nine made the cut. She was the only woman!
Born and brought up in Khairaha village, a couple of hours drive from Bandhavgarh National Park in Madhya Pradesh, she was used to seeing wild animals and aware of a career in forest lodges, where women normally did maintenance and housekeeping. But that was not Ratna wanted to do. “When I applied for the job of a naturalist, I was laughed at by men, who thought I wouldn’t stick around for long,” she said.
“Initially, not only people in the area would run out of their homes to look at me, but even the forest staff would gawk. And many times, ignoring the tiger, the tourists on a safari would start clicking my pictures!” she said.
As a naturalist, what is one trained to do?
The naturalist is trained in various fields. The core, of course, is wildlife, so animal tracks, their sounds and behaviour, flora and fauna and handling a safari vehicle is mandatory. A naturalist has to be good not only at driving, but also know basic vehicle maintenance. We also host guests, so hosting skills — setting tables and making cocktails — are also taught. And since we are out with the guests for long hours in the forests, we have to know outdoor first aid. On starry nights, the naturalist also doubles up as an astronomer and storyteller around the camp fire.
Gulf News: What’s your typical day like?
Ratna Singh: In the summer, the day starts at 4am and in winter at 5am. There are two safaris in a day — the first, early morning to noon and the second, from 3pm to 5.30pm. We are usually back by 6pm and it’s time for a quick shower and wearing a smart uniform and getting set to host the guests at cocktails and dinner. We usually sit with the guests swapping stories and recounting the day’s events or sharing photographs. It’s bedtime by 11pm.
What’s your mission like when you take tourists out on a wildlife trip?
We take maximum of six people in a 4x4, specially modified Tata vehicle. Apart from the guests, a guide or a tracker from the Forest Department accompanies us. In Central India, where our lodges are located, people usually come in search of the tiger. But a naturalist endeavours to present the wilderness and its beauty as a whole to visitors. We stress on the splendour and importance of the majestic animals like the tiger, as well as the expanse of the grasslands supporting the multitudes of deer that feed the tiger. The birds add colour and the monkeys add drama and comic relief. It really is a theatre!
People generally prefer seeing wildlife on a holiday. What are your holiday preferences?
I have been living in the jungles for many years now. Incidentally, my husband Wasim Kasim is also a wildlife buff, who works as a chartered accountant. We both love to visit wilderness areas that are new to us and in different kinds of habitat. While people may know me as a jungle person, like other young women, I too love pretty clothes, so every now and then; I plan shopping expeditions in the city.
Where all does your work take you?
Mostly Central India where we have our lodges at Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Pench and Panna National Parks. I have also had the fortune of travelling to South Africa and parts of Europe and Asia. On the personal front, I spend time in Delhi as well, which I love in the winter.
How many women work as naturalists in India and Africa, which is also famous for safaris?
In India, it is getting to be an organised profession. And I am glad to say that Taj Safaris had a big role in it, as they were the first in the subcontinent to start with wildlife guiding and training at par with international standards. But women continue to be a minority as guides, though there have always been researchers in the field. Surprisingly, even in Africa, which has had the safari culture for long, there are few women guides in wildlife.
Could you relate some spine-chilling incidents in the forest?
There have been several, but one of the most dreadful was when a leopard jumped in front of me, while I was walking back to my cottage through a patch of forest. Though I had wanted to run, there’s one dictum we live by in the forest that whatever happens, don’t run.
Animals smell fear and turn into predator mode. So, I just kept my cool and the leopard walked away. Another incident happened while we were watching a young tiger about 100 metres away from our vehicles. Just when it was time for us to leave, we found our vehicle had a flat tyre. In the midst of changing the tyre, we suddenly saw a huge dominant tiger of the area walking towards us. Just about 20 metres away from us, he walked towards the young tiger and we witnessed a territorial fight between them. The experience left me shocked.
What are your views on poaching of animals in India?
Poaching still exists, although it is getting harder to get away with it. When convictions of criminals become commonplace, it should abate further.
Are you satisfied with the steps taken by the concerned authorities in abating such crimes?
A lot is being done. The park authorities are now more vigilant and have more awareness. There are some very dedicated officers in the parks and certain sections of parks where man-animal conflicts were higher, have been fenced in.
But there has to be a firm political will and execution, as there still are hunters by profession — some from the class that have hunted for fashion and because their forefathers did. Such people still have a hold over the local populace and tend to get away with hunting animals. There’s also this fact that forest guards are not very well equipped to thwart poachers, as they patrol mostly on foot or bicycles. And more often they are only equipped with a stick as weapon to protect our natural heritage.
