[JRW]

As some of you know, I am locked-down inside the jungle in Wayanad and honestly, my life hasn't changed that much over the last one month. I am doing what I'd have done under normal circumstances - such as going for endless walks in the wild, spending the afternoons close to waterholes waiting for animals to come, and once in a while spending nights on trees to soak in the ambiance that only the Jungle can provide - listening to the sounds of the wild and enjoying the drama unfold under the starlit sky...

On that particular day it was an uneventful evening with the herd of spotted deer numbering around 50 and the 4 female Gaurs grazing peacefully in the grassland in front of the cottages. All that was about to change as the Sun slowly moved West and eventually dipped behind the mighty Brahmagiri mountain ranges, casting a deep long shadow across the field. It was almost 7 pm and just before it became pitch dark, there was the twilight phase when the carnivores are most active, and that is when we heard the bellowing alarm call of the Sambar deer coming from the North – the teak forest. Sambar gives excellent alarm calls signifying the movement of the carnivores and at 7 pm, the wild dogs would be safely back inside their dens, which meant what spooked the Sambar deer was either the Leopard or the Tiger.

We all went to the balcony, switched off all the lights and sat there listening to the alarm calls coming from the teak forest. We usually switch all the lights off and we also don’t use the torch when alarm calls are going on as bright light might spook the predator and it may decide to wander off into the forest. As we waited patiently straining our ears to pick up the sounds coming from the grasslands and the jungle, all of a sudden we heard the snorting sound made by the Gaur! The herd did not have calves and there were 4 full grown female Gaurs in the grassland. The only natural threat the Gaur has is the Tiger and so it was clear that the Tiger.. or the Tigress was afoot and close!

The Gaurs kept snorting and the anticipation slowly built, we didn’t know if the Tiger was looking to hunt or just coming down to the waterhole for a drink! Just as I was about to go inside and get my thermal imager, we heard a thunderous growl followed by the unmistakable “WOOF WOOF” sound which the Tiger makes when darting towards the prey especially when hunting large prey! Though we were a good 200 meters away in our balcony, the deafening sound paralyzed us as we stood rooted to the spot, and I can only imagine what it’d have done to the Gaur as the Tiger rushed towards its quarry in the dark night! Usually, there is pin drop silence once the Tiger is on the prey as the Tiger breaks the neck of the quarry and the kill is a very quick and silent one. But not this time! There were a lot of swishing and grunting sounds, interrupted by blood curdling roars! It felt as though the whole building shook when the Tiger growled! It went on for a good 30 seconds or so… and then… silence!

Just as quickly as it had started, it stopped all of a sudden and there was nothing but silence! All of us stood riveted to the spot we were on and as we slowly gathered our senses back, I ran inside to get the thermal imager. These thermal imagers are fascinating instruments, It’d pick out any warm-blooded animal even in pitch darkness, and looking through it, all I could see was a red spot signifying that there was something in the grassland a good 180 meters away, that too right in the middle of the grassland! There was no movement nor was there any sound coming from anywhere, just the occasional Peafowls giving their calls which were soon taken up by the other Peafowls in the area!

It was almost 8:00 pm and I decided to go to the watch tower and take a closer look, as some of you know, the watch tower is close to the Southern boundary of our Retreat and it overlooks the waterhole. As per my calculation, the ‘Tiger and the Gaur’ incident happened at the Northern end of the farm and it was a good 50 meters away from the watch tower. I had the thermal imager switched ON and I set out towards the watch tower taking cautious steps trying not to make any noise what so ever.
It took me a good 10 minutes to reach the watch tower and since it was overcast, it was pitch dark all around. No light from the moon, none from the cottages – just darkness all around. I climbed the 15 steps of the watch tower and I sat down in one of the chairs, and looked to my right through the thermal to see if I could pick up any movement from up there. There was none. All I could see was the same red blob near the northern end of the farm, it was still there and it hadn’t moved in the last 30 minutes! What could it be? Was it the Gaur laying there or was it the Tiger? Looking at the size of the animal, it was clear that it was certainly not an elephant nor was it a spotted deer – the size was somewhere in between. I sat there with my eyes closed, trying to listen to any sounds that may come my way. After a good 10 minutes, I thought I heard a small twig break from my left hand side – and those who have stayed with us, you’d know that on the left hand side of the watch tower, the land goes up and on the right hand side we have the grasslands completely flat for a good 200 meters or so. I dismissed the sound I heard from the left, it felt like a small animal had moved, maybe a hare or a mouse deer. I waited patiently, continued to listen and again, after 5 minutes or so, I thought I heard a sound as though someone or something had exhaled loudly! I opened my eyes and slowly turned my head to the left, it was pitch dark, and so I switched ON the Thermal imager and looked though it! There was something right there, maybe 20 feet away from me, something long and elongated and it was almost at eye level with mine! As I had mentioned, the land slopes up on the left hand side and there was a large animal which was surprisingly short but very elongated and very large! I looked at it through the thermal for a good minute and I had no idea what I was looking at! I was looking at an animal which was perhaps one and a half feet tall and 6 feet long! A female Gaur is 5 feet tall and maybe 6 feet long and a Tiger is a good 3 feet tall and 5 or so feet long! So which was this animal that was so close, so large but so short? I decided to take a quick photo using the flash on my phone and I was sure that at this range I’d be able to see which this animal was even with the flashlight from my phone.

I got up from my chair, moved to the left side of the watch tower, took one final look through the Thermal imager and yes, the animal was still there and there it was again… I thought I heard a deep sigh coming from that direction and that is when I decided to switch ON the phone’s flashlight and take a quick photo. If it is in the night, I usually take a quick photo illuminated by the flash light and then I look at the photo in detail to see what is out there. This helps in reducing the amount of time I have to keep the torchlight ON to scour the area, and the longer I keep the light ON, the easier it is for the animals to notice my presence. The diffused light from the phone fell right on something that was lying there 20 feet away from me, and though there was absolutely no movement when the flashlight fell on it, I could distinctly see something black and white in color! I sat down in the chair and looked at the photo I had taken using the phone and all I could see was this black and white thing that lay stretched on the forest floor! I sat there with trembling hands as I realized what I was looking at! I was looking at the resident female Tigress – “Snow white” as she lay on her back exposing the white fur in her belly intersected with black lines!



It was exciting and very, very scary as well – that is what the Tiger does to you. It evokes the primal fear man has for wild animals, especially ones that can kill him with one swipe of her paw!

I took a good minute to regain my composure and tried to plot my escape route. It was all about getting back to the house and I knew that I had a good 100 meters to walk back in the dark with my phone’s light to show me the way, with the Tigress just a few feet away! I couldn’t call anyone to come and get me, nor did I want to make any loud noise to drive the Tigress away into the jungle. All I could do was to try and gently climb down the stairs and tip toe back to the house without disturbing the Tigress in anyway. I also knew that the Tigress already knew exactly where I was and I tried telling myself that if she was indeed irritated by my presence, she would have given a growl when I was coming towards the watch tower itself, which she didn’t. I was hoping that she’d let me walk back to the house without feeling threatened or irritated. I also knew that this Tigress has seen me so many times and except on one occasion, she has allowed me to carry on undisturbed. Yes, it is true that on that one specific instance, she almost killed me – almost!

I tried consoling myself by reiterating that a Tigress would only kill if she was with her cubs, or if she was defending her kill, or if she was surprised by your presence or if she was courting and mating with a male Tiger. She knew I was there, so I won’t be surprising her by climbing down the steps and walking back, and no, she was not courting but she still had her 3 full grown cubs with her, and yes - she had just made a kill! All of a sudden my thoughts went to her cubs – 3 of them around 16 months old by now – all full grown tigers! They must have heard the commotion and the question was, where were they now? I took out the thermal imager once again and looked around, she was right there in the same pose and she was alone! I knew that the sooner I left from there the safer it would be and it’s just a matter of time before the 3 cubs would join her, and then it’d get very tricky trying to climb down from the watch tower in the middle of the night making the long walk back! Since she knew that I was there and still hadn’t moved, I decided to brave it and as silently as I could, I tip toed down the steps, there were 15 steps or so and when I had taken 2 steps down, I thought I heard a faint rustling sound from where the Tigress was. I remember lifting my phone up and taking a quick photo, and this is what I saw 10 feet away from me…

[luvurride]

Whoa! Your encounters get thrilling and bone chilling than any simulated situation in movies! Continue please. Don't leave us holding our breath!

[vijayols]

Amazing experience Anil.

Can’t wait to hear the complete story.

[dgoyle]

Oh my gosh, I just finished re-reading two books by Jim Corbett (Man Eaters of Kumao and Temple Tigers) and now exploring the third. I must say, the style of narration is similar especially details of self and animal behavioral thoughts being verbalized, distances and angles, jungle sounds. I am mesmerized by the narration. Please carry on!

[Trojan]

Originally Posted by Jungle Retreat

I am locked-down inside the jungle in Wayanad
...
...

and this is what I saw 10 feet away from me…

What an incredible experience, oh how I wish I could have also managed to get reach my camp - we dream about it every single day!

What happened next buddy! My guess is the Tigress got spooked with the flash and bounded off into the darkness like any good-natured wild cat would do.

While it makes for a very interesting and thrilling read, readers MUST realize that it takes nerves of steel to refrain from reacting and keeping cool with an alpha predator in close proximity.

Eagerly waiting for the next episode...


Cheers!

[mallumowgli]

Originally Posted by Jungle Retreat

I remember lifting my phone up and taking a quick photo, and this is what I saw 10 feet away from me…

Since you have penned this down, I guess you are alive We can look forward to the rest

[Ananthang]

Jungle Retreat - Are we going to get the next part any time soon. It has been a long wait. I even contemplated calling your resort to know what happened next.

[dgoyle]

Jungle Retreat, we are eagerly awaiting your next post. Its been many weeks now, please do continue!

[Dieselritzer]

Mods, could you please get in touch with this gentleman and ask him to complete this narrative? This is beyond amazing. I'll say it again, you Sir, are blessed. Truly truly blessed.

[knsivakumar]

Originally Posted by Dieselritzer

Mods, could you please get in touch with this gentleman and ask him to complete this narrative? This is beyond amazing. I'll say it again, you Sir, are blessed. Truly truly blessed.

Hi.. any update from the gentleman? Thanks.

[gadadhar]

Originally Posted by knsivakumar

Hi.. any update from the gentleman? Thanks.

I spoke it him at his property in Dec, but missed mentioning his unfinished story on BHP. He is more active on Facebook, do search for Jungle Retreat Wayanad and you will find many posts there.

BTW this was our 6th visit to his property, we were lucky to spot a tiger and tons of elephants when we were there.

[procrj]

Originally Posted by gadadhar

IHe is more active on Facebook

Thanks for that nudge gadadhar, looks like its time to visit his place and catch a glimpse of snow white

[SajiNSalin]

We stayed one night in this place. It was amazing seeing herds of deer, wild pigs and lots of birds from the cottage balcony and the dining place. Spent some time in the watch tower, where a lot of interesting incidents are mentioned earlier in this post. Wanted to spend a couple of nights here, but the place was fully booked on the second night. We went on a night drive and spotted the no-tail elephant mentioned in the post and a couple of other less dangerous elephants, one with very long tusks. In addition the night drive revealed lots of deer, a civet cat, hares, a mother and baby gaur. Next day morning we trekked to the old house and an animal trail taken by the resident tigers, leopards, gaur etc. It was interesting to see the trap camera pictures of a previous night showing a variety of animals that crossed during the day and night. The roads around this place frequently have elephants crossing. We encountered three elephants crossing the road and waited for them to move to the other side. The climate was very pleasant too. The forest department has a forest trek from 7:30 am to about 2pm which involves about 12km round trip walk to a watch tower and a steep climb up the mountain. It was very interesting. The start point is about 4km from the resort on the road to Tirunel temple; a deviation of about 2km on the right from the main road.

[JRW]

Dear all,
Thank you for your kind words, and yes, I am alive!

What started out as the Tigress (we call her Snow white) following me or popping up from behind the bushes during my walks, soon turned into something a lot more. For those who have come out for walks with me in the wilderness will know what I am talking about, but for the others, well, even if I told you what happens, you probably wouldn't believe a word of it, so let me not even try describing my interaction with Snow white. Let us just say, each time I come back, I pinch myself thinking did this really happen?

She gave birth to 3 cubs, 1 male and 2 female cubs, they are all full grown Tigers now and all are seen in this area frequently. But unfortunately Snow white decided to divide her territory and give it to 2 of her daughters "Dot" and "Strike", both beautiful animals, and then Snow white went missing, she just disappeared one day. Those were painful days for me, I'd go out, call to her, and I wouldn't get a response and I'd come back (I told you, it may sound crazy - and this is just the start).

Dot is the bolder of the cubs, but she is no Snow white, and Strike is a real Tigress, she has nothing to do with humans and she'd slink away the moment she realized that humans were around. I kept seeing Dot, from afar, but she always kept her distance from me, never allowed me to get close to her as her mom did, understandably so. Till around 2 months back, that was the norm, I'd go to the estate that we bought adjoining Jungle Retreat Wayanad, watch her from afar, and then come back satiated. That was the daily routine.

All that changed 2 months back.
One day Dot just went missing! I used to see her every day, I'd make the short walk to the estate by 5pm, sit on the rock knowing well that Dot would come walking along the game trail and then she'd stop, look at me from 50 meters away or so and continue walking without giving me a second look. I used to love those 5 seconds, but just as it became a routine, it stopped all of a sudden and I was worried not knowing what had happened to her. My attempts to track her were futile and she had just disappeared as only a Tigress could. First it was Snow white, and then Dot.

For someone used to seeing Tigers on a daily basis, for someone who used to enjoy those precious moments daily, no matter how fleeting they were, it was heartbreaking. I'd come home, tell Anju about my disappointment and I'd start scouring the area again with renewed vigor the next day, only to come up wanting. She had gone and I didn't know where.

For 2 days the Jungle went silent, yes, we did hear that alarm calls, and most were for "Death-wish" the big male Leopard and a few were for the Tiger (male) "Big foot" and BIG he is, but that is another story! Then one evening around 2 months back, it was around 7pm-ish, I heard the alarm calls coming from the estate to the western side of Jungle Retreat Wayanad and it was clear as day that the Chital were calling looking at a Tigress! Did Dot come back from wherever she was? I had to go and explore. So I waited for daybreak and as I was walking along the mud road in the estate, I saw something that made my heart race! I saw a set of pugmarks - that of a big female Tigress and the second was her tiny cub's! What is more, the big pugmarks did not belong to Dot, it was Snow white's, she was back with her new litter - 1 cub!


I see her everyday these days, and initially I was unsure as to how she'd react to my presence especially since there was a break in our interactions, but she behaved as though she never left even for a day. The little male cub keeps away, instinct has taught him that humans are no good and he keeps away, snarls at me whenever he gets a chance. I don't take videos or photos anymore, Snow white is a lot more to me than a set of photos. But here is one that I took 3 days back in the estate, she is as pretty as pretty can be...