Ganges River Dolphin and other species near Koshi Tappu, Nepal

Just got back from a 3-day trip to Koshi Tappu in SE Nepal, where we saw and photographed four Ganges River Dolphins immediately adjacent to the south side of the Koshi Barrage dam. Although their numbers in Nepal are now scarily low (perhaps as low as 15-20 individuals), they’re still regularly and easily seen from the Koshi Barrage. Immediately upon arriving, we saw dolphins only 30-50 meters from where we were standing atop the dam.

The fields just west of Koshi Bird Observatory (which itself lies just north of the Koshi Tappu reserve) are apparently just about a sure thing for Bengal Fox. We saw two hunting in the open right before dusk. Wild Water Buffalo remain easy to see within the reserve (we saw 20 or so “pure” individuals), and we also had four wild Asian Elephants and several Golden Jackals there. Both Jungle Cat and Fishing Cat are now resident on the grounds of Koshi Tappu Wildlife Camp. Unfortunately, we missed Fishing Cat by about 30 minutes near midday. Apparently, they’re being seen on the grounds almost daily right now.

–Mich Coker