Chasing the Tahr!

The Sky, the Tree, and the Tahr.

As kids when we played the ubiquitous 'Name-Place-Animal-Thing' game, where one had to name each of these beginning with a specific letter, the letter 'I' usually stood for Ibis or Ibex. But I didn't know for many years what these even looked like (pre-internet era!) except what the dictionary told us- Ibex was a type of goat found in the hills!

These pictures are from the Eravikulam National Park, Munnar, taken about eight years ago, with my first 'Cybershot'. Fond memories were refreshed when I found these pictures, and many more from the short trips in those years, last evening. 

The Nilgiri Tahr or simply, the Nil Tahr, is a type of ibex endogenous to the Nilgiri hills of South India. Sporting curved horns, these are very docile beings that stick to their herds. Watching them balancing on the steep ledges of the mountains is awe inspiring. We were lucky enough to catch them from a pretty close range; it looked like they were in a mood to 'pose' for us! Look at the perfect triangle.

Strike a Pose, eh?

The first picture is especially close to my heart, as it is one of the first few pictures that made me take Photography as a hobby, seriously. The sky was exceptionally blue that morning, and the air, fresh! The crowd was sparse too. The walk up the hill was exhilarating, and the view was worth it.

Have you been to this place? Share you thoughts about the Eravikulam National Park, Munnar.