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By Naren Karunakaran Colonel John Wakefield, 92, who shot his first tiger when he was 10 but is now a passionate conservationist, is battling to keep 'market forces' away from Karnataka's Kabini River Lodge
 The jungles of Kabini, sandwiched between the Nagarhole and Bandipur national parks, have been the favourite hunting ground of royalty, noblemen and sovereigns. For the Maharaja of Meerut and the maharanis of Jodhpur and Cooch Behar, Kabini was a magnificent diversion from the burdens of governing.
King Edward, the Prince of Wales and Lord Mountbatten visited in 1921. The Russian grand dukes were also mesmerised by the beauty of the deciduous forest, its rich wildlife and the placid Kabini river. They arrived here as early as 1891. Today’s Kabini River Lodge, with its colonial-style bungalows, guest facilities and ambience (once the hunting lodge of the Maharaja of Mysore) is repository of a wonderful hoard of memories. The lodge remains the jewel in the crown of the Karnataka government’s Jungle Lodge and Resorts (JLR) and contributes almost 50% of its annual turnover. Colonel John Felix Wakefield, 92, conservationist, naturalist, pioneer of wildlife tourism in India and the living legend of Kabini, has the key to this repository. The colonel is resident director of JLR and lives on this 54-acre magical campus, bordered on three sides by a bend in the Kabini. ‘John Papa’ as he is known to friends, colleagues and regulars was groomed to be a hunter by his father, an Englishman in the employ of the Maharaja of Tikari in Bihar. John was born in Gaya. His great-grandfather came to India from England in 1826 and served in the Bengal army. Papa’s family tree embraces the likes of Robert Barclay, a descendant of King Edward I, and Frances Darwin, Charles Darwin’s aunt. One of Papa’s forebears, Edward Gibbon Wakefield, went to Australia and later Canada and is known as the ‘builder of the British Commonwealth’. In keeping with this tradition and upbringing, John took to hunting early. He shot his first leopard when he was just nine years old. A year later, he killed a tigress. But the man who wielded a gun so early in life is now a diehard conservationist. The transition is his life story. After a stint in the army (till 1955), Papa chose a career in wildlife tourism and joined the Kumaon Hunters Safari Company. He then worked as a naturalist, escorting wildlife tourists to India’s newly-founded national parks. He took the first tourist to Ranthambhor way back in 1975. His tenure at the prestigious Tiger Tops Jungle Lodge in Nepal brought him to Karnataka, when the state sought his help to set up something similar to the world-renowned lodge. The Kabini River Lodge thus came into being in 1984. The years have since rolled by and John Papa, with his passion for wildlife and conservation, has transformed the Kabini River Lodge into a sought-after destination. It conforms to the generally accepted norms of eco-tourism where visitors are expected to depart without leaving a trace of their presence behind. The popularity of the lodge has, consequently, been soaring. The average occupancy rate, including during the monsoon, is 92%. It has also been rated one of the top five wildlife resorts in the world by the British Tatler Travel Guide. There are no television sets or telephones at the lodge. “I was appalled at recent hints from some quarters to build up-market facilities like swimming pools,” says Papa. “It is incongruous and such luxuries shouldn’t find a place in the forest.” He is also concerned about recent collaborations between large Indian hotel chains and Conservation Corporation-Africa, a company that specialises in ‘luxury’ safaris. “It’s a big mistake,” he insists, as he battles the increasing trend of unbridled commercialisation. Papa is all for what he describes as “controlled tourism” with a degree of sensitivity for fragile ecosystems and a healthy respect for regulations. He is also sensitive to the livelihood needs of villagers. Forest-dwellers, including the Jenu and Kadu Kuruba tribes, have been trained and employed. Over 90% of employees at the lodge are locals. The lodge used to source much of its provisions from the villagers too, with the intention of boosting and sustaining the local economy. However the management, citing quality and pricing, has recently begun buying from Bangalore’s Metro Cash and Carry. Papa is visibly dismayed. But he has evidently retained the instincts of a fighter. He won’t give up easily. Indeed, Colonel John Felix Wakefield epitomises the spirit of responsible tourism. (Naren Karunakaran is a journalist based in New Delhi) InfoChange News & Features, May 2007
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