Maneater of Devprayag / Chandmari.

[357 S&W]

Excellent write up, Prashant. I hope you or your friend gets him before he gets anyone else. All the best.

[The Doc]

The animal kept as bait to capture the leopard was a pet dog.

The dog was a medium size cocktail of all the bachelors his mother must have met. He had a brownish black coat and carried a dominant Tibetan Mastiff gene.

He had been kept in the cage for the night and the experience (of spending a night) with the leopard on the other side of the partition had turned him into a nervous wreck.

We met him a day after his "encounter" and were told that he had stopped eating, drinking and barking. He was hiding under his masters bed and refused to come out.

Pet dog as a bait ? That, I think is very cruel (even if the pet was on the other side of the partition). He must have loyally served/guarded/protected his master/master's family for many years. The irony is that after a few days he will happily resume his duties faithfully for the master who almost fed him to the leopard !

best,
Rp.

[prashantsingh]

Pet dog as a bait ? That, I think is very cruel
Rp.

Very true Doc.
But dogs make perfect baits.
They are small and fit perfectly in the trap .They also make enough noise (bark) through the night to make their presence felt.A goat on the other hand would sit quietly in the cage (out of fear). Leopards are known to come close to villages and lift dogs.
Secondly there is a financial aspect to all this.
The Forest Dept. pays nothing if your dog is lifted by the leopard.
If a cow is killed they pay Rs 5000/= (approx. US $ 100/=)
Buffalo Rs 10000/= (approx. US $ 200)
Horse Rs 15000/= (approx US $ 300)
Needless to say . The componsation offered is too little.
The dog does not feature on the list. In a poor far out place with few resources, finance plays an important role. More important than sentiments.

On reaching the village our (first) job at hand was to pacify the villagers and prevent the uprise (plans to block the national highway).
Two forest guards and a ranger had accompanied us to the village.
Being my first experience my friend (who is 10 yrs my senior in age) had asked me to be quiet. If I were asked questioned I would direct them to him.
This was my first such experience and like a true disciple I agreed to whatever he said.
We made quite an impressive sight. Dressed in Cammo. wearing smart hats. Assisted with the forest guards with three rifles and a double barrel 12 bore gun we entered the village. The two houses belonging to the brother were further ahead. Up the ridge and away from the rest of the village.
Everyone present in the village was called over.
Mr S Singh underwent a complete transformation. From a soft spoken man he addressed the gathering with authourity and confidence.
He had particularly requested the forest guards to call the "neta type elements" for the meeting.
He introduced himself and informed them that since we were here , they had nothing to fear. He put all the threads (of what he had observed) together and came out with a hypothesis (about the leopards plight) which most people agreed upon.
He told the folks that after inspecting the trap he was sure that the leopard was now badly injured. Bleeding from the mouth and broken nails meant that he would need time to recuperate. He expected the animal to first recover and then make another kill. Any info on the leopards where abouts would be welcome. Requested the folks to avoid rumours as they would only lead to waste of time.
I was very impressed with the speach and almost wanted to clap (after it was over) but somehow stopped myself.
When he had finshed , every one looked impressed except a young fellow in his late twenties (and a budding Neta).
He got up and walked upto me . Pointed a finger at me and shouted. "If you don't get the animal in two days . We will block the Highway".
I was shocked and did not know how to react.
My friend came to my rescue.
"Why wait for TWO days. Go block it today."
The young man was taken aback.
"We are not here to earn a reward. We are not here to earn money or get our photos and names printed in the news papers. We have spent our own money to drive 300 kms to come and help you. If this is the response you have to give us . We shall return immediately."
He turned around lifted his rifle and started to walk away.
The older members of the village immediately pulled away the young fellow and ran up to us.
"Ye to paagal hai saab. Aap iski baton me mat aaiye" (Dont listen to him saab. He is a crazy fellow) The village pradhaan (head) said.

Singh looked at me and gave me a slight smile. The revolt had been supressed.
The first battle had been won.

[xl_target]

it gets better with every episode, keep it up!

[hvj1]

The solid steps that i think are
1.Make a selected number of leopards unfertile.
2.Allow killing of those leopards who become maneater or cattle lifter instead of translocating them.

Kazim,
From Prashant's narration, you may have figured out how difficult it is to trap a leopard without avoiding injuries. these injuries could lead to a 'normal' leopard turning into a maneater.
Secondly, even an experienced shikari Like Mr. S.Singh, found it difficult to identify the maneater, hence gave benefit of doubt.
Maybe you need to do a 'rethink' on the subject

[prashantsingh]

Apart from a powerful search light ,we had 4 weapons for the hunt.
A Thirty oh six rifle, an IOF 315 rifle, double barrel 12 bore gun and a .22 rifle.
What's the point of taking along the .22 for a leopard hunt , I questioned Singh.
"I will tell you when the time comes." He said.
He also insisted we take a walk on the pagdandee in broad day light to get the feel of the terrain. This would help us on our walks in the middle of the night when we went looking for the culprit.
"Out of 9 maneater I have shot only 1 in broad daylight. The rest have all been shot after dark." he continued.
It was during this day trek (on the very first day) that I came across the snake.
If there is anything in this world that I am scared of . It's these slimy creatures. I just don't like them.
I know 70 % snakes are non poisonous.But this time of the year (rainy season) they are all over the place.
I must admit that on the first night when we went out for the walk I was rather terrified with the strangest of thoughts. I could almost picturise myself being bitten by a cobra in the middle of the night.
We would start our search at dusk and would continue to walk till past mid night. Take a halt for a couple of hours and resume the return journey. Be back in the camp by dawn for a cup of hot tea.
At the slightest of sound Singh would stop and focus the light in that direction. My job was to ape him. When he stopped, I stopped. When he bent down , I bent down. When he crawled , I crawled. We had decided , that if we came upon the maneater well in sight and with enough time. We would both shoot together at the count of three. One ,Two ,Three(bang). He with his thirty oh six. I with the .315.
Two forest guards would go along with us just in case we lost our way (and to carry the 12 bore and .22).
The jungle which appeared to be so quite during the day had suddenly come alive by night.
There was so much of activity every where.
We saw Ghoral , Porcupines, Kaakar (Barking deer) and a variety of nocturnal birds. The most interesting amongst them ,apart from the owls was the Nightjar.
A couple of hours through the search ,and my fear of snakes started to fade away. There was so much more to look forwards to in the night jungle.

[bodhijobs]

Its giving me goosebumps!!!

amazing, Prashantji...

[kanwar76]

The solid steps that i think are
1.Make a selected number of leopards unfertile.
2.Allow killing of those leopards who become maneater or cattle lifter instead of translocating them.

Kazim,
From Prashant's narration, you may have figured out how difficult it is to trap a leopard without avoiding injuries. these injuries could lead to a 'normal' leopard turning into a maneater.
Secondly, even an experienced shikari Like Mr. S.Singh, found it difficult to identify the maneater, hence gave benefit of doubt.
Maybe you need to do a 'rethink' on the subject

What is your remedy hvj1 ?

[The Doc]

This is turning out to be a great shikar story .

best,
Rp.

[prashantsingh]

The first days excursion had drained all my energy out.
My body ached with pain and my legs felt heavy. Surpisingly the forest guards and the Ranger (next morning) were as fit (and fresh) as a fiddle.Though much older to me (in age), they were men from the hills. Walking up and down the mountains was their daily routine.
I refused to walk the next evening and expressed my views to Singh.
He thought for a while and decided to alter the plan for the evening.
We would drive on the kattcha (unmetalled) road this evening and try to spot the leopard.
He was confident that we would meet up with the leopard on either the road or the pagdandee.
The leopard had injured his paws. If he moved he would take to the road rather than the steep thorny hillside. "There paws are soft and leopards don't like to injure them". Singh explained.
Before dusk we got on to the open jeep and started the winding and bumpy journey up the hill. A guard stood with us at the back and would hold the light while the two of us took aim......in case we came upon the maneater.
It was a dark night with no moon at all. The stars sparkled in the sky. The air was fresh and crisp. But what I enjoyed most was the comfort of standing in the jeep rather than walking.
Singh was flashing his light all across the mountains.At times forming figures of Z 's ,L's and going up and down the ridge vertically.
The slightest reflection would catch his eyes.
He would then focus the light on the bonnet of the jeep, and the driver would pull the vehicle to a halt.
The first time he did that the driver slammed on the brakes and the three of us were thrown forwards. The driver was asked to be a little smooth with the breaks thereafter.
Singh told me that a leopards eyes appear amber in the reflection.
Half way uphill , I saw two small amber coloured eyes. I tapped Singh. He had already seen them. The jeep came to a halt.
Signalling to me , Singh asked me to put down the .315 and take the .22 instead.
"Is he mad" I thought to myslef."How does he expect me to shoot a leopard with a two two?"
I did what he said.
"Now aim a few yards to the left (of the eyes) and shoot." he whispered.
Could he see the leopard broadside. I wondered.
As I was moving the rifle and before I could shoot I saw the eyes rise to the sky. Was the Leopard jumping up? No way. It was a stupid Nightjar I had mistaken as the beast.
Now I knew why we had brought the two two.
All of us had a hearty laugh.

[hvj1]

What is your remedy hvj1 ?[/quote]

A long time ago, I gave my opinion, how about you?

[Vikram]

Prashant,you are writing with the elan of an accomplished outdoors writer.Loving the pics and the report. I understand the purpose and respect the efforts.I only wish that the leopard could be captured.I know that you are an extremely ethical person in that regard.If it must be,so it must be.

Best-
Vikram

[Big Daddy]

Well mentioned Vikram!

[prashantsingh]

I only wish that the leopard could be captured.I know that you are an extremely ethical person in that regard.
Vikram

I wish that as well Vikram. But the problem is how do we catch him? Leopards are very clever animals. This one has already been trapped once. I doubt he will be stupid enough to enter the cage again. Secondly all wild animals have a fear of man. Unfortunately when big cats turn maneaters this fear goes away. They realise how easy it is to kill humans for food. With every kill the animal becomes more cunning and clever.
In maximum leopard attacks on human (in the hills this side), the big cat manages to only maul the individual.
In other cases where they kill the individual, the village folks come soon after and the animal is forced to flee, leaving behind most of the kill. Singh once sat over night in a machaan on a "human kill". Sure enough the leopard came back for a second helping and was shot when he was in the middle of the meal.
This leopard is a seasoned maneater. He was swift and silent .In the early hours of the morning he pulled the girl into a thick bush and ate her almost completely. He must have watched people moving around the village throughout the day. Yet no one saw him.
The best of old time hunters (including Corbett) have shot more maneating tigers than maneating leopards.

I have never hunted at night.
"Sun Down . Gun Down " was one of the ethics of hunting. Something I followed even on my hunts abroad. But like I mentioned, this trip was the opposite......and when it's a war against a maneater. I guess you have to break the rules.
Since I was a little kid I have been visiting a number of National Parks and Sancturies within India.Even on a photo safari we would never go out after sun set. That is why I found this trip so interesting. So different from all my previous trips in the jungle. For the first time I got to see so many nocturnal creatures.
I wish we could actually come up with a solution .

P.S. Must also mention that darting a maneating leopard is not a
good idea. Tranquilizer guns have very limited range.

[shooter]

some more observations to prachant:

"most maneater leopards are shot at night." corbett

comparison vis a vis tigers explained in detail in his works.

cats take care of their paws and never subject them to torture.

Goat as bait. it is common for a goat to stop bleating when tied as a bait. the remedy is to pierce its ear with a thorn but even this doesnt work at all times.