But aren’t you scared of animals!!?? That is the round eyed question I invariably get when I tell city folks that I love walking in jungles. On cue, I ask them what they mean by “animals”. And it is always the same answer. Oh, Tigers and Leopards? As if these poor cats are waiting behind every bush, ready to pounce on the next unsuspecting human. My answer is always an emphatic no. I am not very worried about big cats. Quite honestly, the animal I worry most about meeting is man! The men that you meet on the shadowy trails of the jungle are usually up to no good. Either poachers or ganja cultivators or worse. Men who are notorious for their dislike of prying eyes and prone to violence. Apart from man, the most feared animals on my list would be the elephant and the sloth bear. Even the sloth bear is a distant second because old bruin is never really looking for trouble. He’s just very clumsy by jungle standards and tends to be hard of hearing, with poor eyesight to boot. So quite often he bumps into you unexpectedly and attacks out of fear. If you are making enough noise, as a group of humans is wont to do, he will veer off much before you even see him. Not so the elephant. The elephant is the only animal in the jungle which will actually go after a human being deliberately. Though highly intelligent and gentle by nature, elephants have an innate and understandable dislike towards humans. They have been known to stalk, hide and ambush unsuspecting walkers. And when they do get hold of you, they can wreak havoc with their sheer size and power.
We’ve often been mock charged by elephants. A charging elephant is quite a sight to behold. Ears wide out, trunk up, trumpeting loudly and kicking up a dust storm. But the more dramatic the show, the more the likelihood that it was designed to scare you. The odd soul who has held his ground knows that often the elephant stops a few feet away and loses its nerve to push the attack through. Not so the elephant intent on causing harm. The signs are unmistakeable. Ears pinned back & trunk curled in to avoid damage. Running fast and straight with no hesitation and silent, deadly intent. That is bad news indeed.
One such experience remains etched in my memory from the early 2000’s. A southern Indian state had decided to open up trekking routes through the Nilgiris Biosphere and our trekking group was chosen for the initial trial runs. There was much excitement in the air. A chance to walk through deep forest areas hitherto restricted to all except forest department staff. We could scarcely believe our luck! We presented ourselves on the designated day at the department office on the edge of the jungle and were introduced to the two guards who were designated to be our escorts. One of them was the usual jungle wallah. Dark and wiry framed and a man of few words. The other was more of a Mysore guy and had the honour of toting an antiquated double barrel gun to protect us. Little did we know that it was only loaded with birdshot, and designed more to scare than to maim!
Greetings and instructions were exchanged. The gunman was to walk ahead of us at all times and we were to maintain a safe distance from him, while the other would bring up the rear, armed only with his trusty sickle. On the first day, we decided that the Moyar river was to be our destination. Those who are familiar with the area would know that the Moyar flows through a deep gorge, traversing two states through some of the finest jungles in south India. In its wake lie vast swathes of dry deciduous forests which are home to a veritable array of wildlife, including elephants who visit the river regularly.
Day one went off without much incident, though the process of climbing up and down the steep gorge face turned out to be physically excruciating. To temper it, there were breathtaking views and herds of Gaur and Chital as well as the occasional Sambar deer kept us engrossed with their activities. All of this slowed us down, and by the time we got back on the jeep trail, it was starting to become dark. Darkness descends suddenly in the jungle. To add to it, it was a moonless night. We walked out of jungle with considerable anxiety as we were walking through prime elephant territory in growing darkness. To our good fortune, nothing really bad happened beyond a couple of angry trumpets and we remained unharmed.
The next day dawned with us planning a trek along the boundary of the national park and up to a hill on which stood a famous local temple. Having finished the core jungle trail on the previous day, we were all in a relaxed mood now. Todays trek would only take us through the buffer zone of the forest. We had forgotten that wildlife does not understand our definitions of where they should be and how they should behave. We set off along the track, chatting with a couple of tribal watchers who had joined us and brought up the rear along with the other guard. We did not think much of it at the time, but they had cut a couple of long leafy branches and were carrying them along for some reason. Perhaps they had an inkling of what was to come!
The route started out pretty easily and we kept up a good pace along the jeep tracks on the foothills. Even though this was the buffer zone, there were even more signs of wildlife along this path. We were shown the pugmarks of a tigress alongside the smaller pugmarks of her cub. The water was still seeping into the pugmarks, indicating that the duo had not been long in passing. It was a crisp and clear day and everyone was in high spirits. And then it happened!
We were walking along a track bordered by tall elephant grass and shrubbery that grew to almost a man’s height. As we rounded a corner, we literally stumbled on to a young male elephant who had been feeding by the side of the track. Now people often think that it is the solitary old male tusker that is most to be feared. But in my experience, elephants have personalities, much like humans. The old and strong tuskers are irritable, but confident. You rarely get a sustained charge from them unless you have seriously invaded their comfort distance. They couldn’t be bothered to spend too much energy on you. Females with caves are probably more dangerous as the herd can be extremely protective of their young. But they will rarely leave the young ones side for too long. Instead, just like humans, it is the adolescent males that are often the most dangerous. They have a point to prove, they are trying to impress the herd and very often they are actually driven by a mixture of fear and insecurity.
This particular young male was alone, but he lost no time in launching a full scale charge on us. I could see him wheel around like a bus, trumpet loudly and in no time flat he was on the track and charging towards us with dust flying. A charging elephant is always a fearsome sight, but this was beautiful and chilling to behold at the same time. So much destructive power hurtling towards you are surprising speed. My brain however, was still refusing to register that his was a serious attack. I was used to mock charges from elephants and fully expected him to slow down after a few yards and wheel off into the jungle. I was then too inexperienced to spot the warning signs. The ears pinned back and the trunk wrapped in. Signs of an elephant that fully intends to get into combat and is protecting its vulnerable spots. Initially I found myself giving instructions to the folks around me not to run, as running helter skelter in the jungle in different directions increases the risk of serious injury and getting lost.
Curiously, I could see everything with clarity and almost in slow motion. I saw the guard yelling and then raise his shotgun to fire a warning shot over the head of the elephant. Shooting directly was unthinkable and in any case his gun was loaded with birdshot. I could gear the gun go bang and there was a puff of smoke. The elephant did not even flinch. He had apparently been having firecrackers thrown at him by irate villagers whenever he raided the nearby fields. Now he was just 50 feet away and I could see Satish try and fire the second barrel. A dull click from an old and faulty cartridge is all that ensured. Next moment it was ground zero! I could see Satish throw the shotgun physically at the elephant and run into the bushes on the side. People around me were disappearing in puffs of smoke, almost like cartoon characters. My brain finally clicked into accepting that this was no mock charge and I better save myself. I veered sharply to the right and took off into the bushes, running fast and zig zagging as my brain had already processed that it would be impossible to outrun an elephant on an open track.
Meanwhile, a new drama was being played out behind me. Just as one of the team members spun around and started running, she tripped and fell on the track! And the elephant went straight for her. She would later tell me that she could see the elephant looming over her and felt that her time had come. To this day, we cannot really be sure as to what is the worst that could have happened. All we know is she was saved by the courage of the tribals. It appears they knew this problem elephant was in the vicinity and that is why they were carrying the leafy branches. They began shouting loudly and ran up to her, shaking the branches vigorously. I am told the elephant paused for a moment, perhaps wondering whether it should just swat these irritating and noisy apparitions. But as it happened, he had had his full of us by then. Exploding guns, screaming people and wildly shaking branches. There is only so much that any self respecting elephant will take. So he paused, took a sharp left and veered off into the jungle.
This story doesn’t end here. If you would recollect, both the elephant and I had cut out in the same direction and were now running through the bushes. I was starting to slow down when I realized the bushes near me were shaking violently and could hear shouts from the group that the elephant is headed my way! So I screeched to a halt and start running back towards the track and away from the shaking bushes. Things now got worse! Our brave guard had regained his composure and his gun, which he had reloaded. Convinced that he must well and truly chase away the elephant, he starts shooting wildly into the bushes. The same bushes through which I was running back towards the track! Everyone now started shouting for him to stop shooting and to cut a long story short, I somehow reach the track unharmed.
A sorry sight we were! Terrified, silent and shaking. We took a few minutes to catch our breath and then proceeded quickly to the anti poaching camp that was just a few 100 meters away. Upon reaching the camp we were met by another anxious team of watchers. They told us that this elephant was apparently a known trouble maker who had already injured a couple of people from neighbouring villages. Hearing the gunfire and the noise, they were convinced that we must be in serious trouble. They were much relieved to find us safe and sound. And so were we!
