On The Jungle Floor

The day starts early in the jungle. You are out of the camp by sunrise, and accompanied by a forest guard or two, you set out towards the specified beat and get down to work immediately, scanning the forest floor for pugmarks and other signs of animal movement (like scat/excreta, scratch marks on tree trunks, animal calls etc).

A glass fitted on a wooden frame is used to trace the pugmark

The pugmark is then ‘copied’ on a data sheet and other relevant information is filled

An iron frame is laid around the pugmark on the ground. Plaster of Paris (PoP) powder is mixed in water and the solution is poured in the frame from a corner such that it evenly spreads over the pugmark. PoP is then allowed to set, and within 15-20 minutes, the cast is ready. The cast is released from the iron frame and is washed to remove the mud.

Participating in tiger census work in Gugamal National Park, Melghat Tiger Reserve (Maharashtra).

Pugmarks are typically found in dry nullahs, riverbeds and along mud tracks.

Measuring the stride – the distance between the front tip of the left hind pugmark and the front tip of the next impression of the same pugmark.