Man Eaters and Jungle Killers

Book Jacket (Thomas Nelson, 1957)

Man Eaters and Jungle Killers is the second book of jungle tales and man-eaters written by Kenneth Anderson, first published in 1957 by George Allen & Unwin Ltd.^[1]

Contents

Introduction

Anderson writes of the effect progressing civilization and industrialization is having on the natural world. He writes these stories not only to give pleasure to the adventurous, but to provide a record of what the great forests of India were once like.

The Marauder of Kempekarai

Anderson pursues a man-eating tiger in the Kempekarai area, un-sure that the tiger will accept cattle baits, Anderson tries to lure the tiger by using the noisy pulley on the village well. Failing to procure a shot, the next day he sits in a tree hide, only to be spotted by the man-eater and gashed by the tiger's claws through the hide chair. In his next attempt Anderson constructs a hide using a large wagon cart wheel buried against some large boulders - creating a hide space in between to sit over a crude human dummy. The dummy first attracts the attention of a sloth bear, and then the man-eater. The man-eater attacks Anderson from above, but flees after gun fire. A storm then breaks and Anderson is left fighting to get out of his built in hide before the flood waters come in.

Alam Bux and the Big Black Bear

A disgruntled sloth bear starts mauling humans in the Nagvara Hills region – attacking in the typical bear fashion by clawing the face apart – leaving most victims to die of their wounds. When the son of Anderson's friend, Alam Bux is fatally attacked by the bear – Anderson comes to his aid. During the course of the next few weeks Anderson follows up on further bear attacks, during one of which he badly hurts his ankle leaving himself barely able to walk. Four days later Anderson returns to a field where the bear had been sighted, and sits out under a large fruit tree to try to get a final shot at the animal.

The Mamandur Man-Eater

The story of a young, female man-eating tiger, which Anderson suggests gained the habit from the man-eating tiger previously documented in 'The Striped Terror of Chamala Valley' ('Nine Maneaters And One Rogue'). Anderson arrives in the area and upon finding the latest human kill by a railway line, lies down on the track and awaits the return of the tiger. Whilst waiting patiently he notices the victims severed head begins to move - eventually he discovers that a rhinoceros beetle is trying to roll away the head. His wait is then interrupted by the arrival of a train, the train staff are then horrified when they discover Anderson's reason for lying on the tracks. After further attempts to attract the tigress with bait, Anderson by chance ends up luring the tiger by imitating a mating call.

The Crossed-Tusker of Gerhetti

A rogue elephant with distinctive overlapping tusks plagues the Gerhetti area, killing a number of people. Anderson arrives and his first days are wasted in tracking the wrong elephant, before he finally finds the distinctive crossed tusks he's looking for.

The Sangam Panther

A man-eating panther in the Sangam area proves a tricky foe for Anderson as it will not be lured by animal baits. To solve the issue Anderson uses himself as bait, waiting for the panther in the center of a cattle pen. After spending the night being eaten by cattle ticks, the following night he waits dangerously exposed for the panther by lying on the top of a metal roof.

The Ramapuram Tiger

Following an injury from a Gin trap, a cattle lifter turns man-eating tiger in Ramapuram. On following the drag marks of one of the live baits taken in the night, Anderson comes across a tigress and small cubs and is surprised when she does not charge. Anderson finds another one of his baits has been killed, and when he approaches the kill to examine it he is surprised by the man-eater who is still by the bullock. The man-eater's charge is hindered by the bulk of the dead bullock, giving Anderson time to make his shot.

The Great Panther of Mudiyanoor

A friend of Anderson at the Moyar Valley Ranch is plagued by a local panther, and when it kills his Alsatian he writes to Anderson for his help. Anderson's son Donald takes over the writing of the story as he heads to Mudiyanoor in his place, taking with him a photographer friend. Whilst on the trail of the panther the animal charges them, Anderson's friend is luckily enough to get a photo of the panther in mid-charge, and luckier still that Donald was a fast and good enough shot to stop the panther from coming any further.

The Mauler of Rajnagara

A tiger in the Rajnagara region develops a peculiar habit of mauling humans, never using its teeth on its prey - only its claws to wound. 11 of its 33 maul victims later died from their wounds or from blood poisoning. Anderson arrives on the scene at the time of a fresh human kill, and in inadequate shoes starts to track the tiger through the jungle. Despite sitting up over putrid human remains under the hot daytime sun - Anderson fails in his attempts to shoot the mauler. This story later continues in 'The Maneater of Pegepalyam' (The Black Panther of Sivanipalli and Other Adventures of the Indian Jungle) and concludes in 'From Mauler to Maneater' (The Call of the Man Eater).

External links

• Man-Eaters and Jungle Killers on Internet Archive

References