The maneating leopardess of F.R.I (Truth behind the story)

[Oggie]

Hi Prashant,

I've only just got back roaring Red Deer in remote NZ bush and have just seen this post. You're a hero in my eyes and a saviour in the eyes of those potential other victims had this leopard not been stopped. There's a stubborn moronic ostrich syndrome that some non hunting left leaning idiots seem to subscribe to which is no point engaging with. The problem is they'll never really see it our way. I'd ignore these idiots and think purely about the lives you've positively impacted.

Vikram's done a great job communicating on FB but its evident from some of the idiotic and almost personal attacks on his comments that these morons wish to continue living in their bubble. I thought Vikram's comments were measured and well articulated and he did not get provoked into personal exchanges - well done Vikram !

All the best,

Ognish

PS: My offer to take you out on a hunt if you visit NZ stands !

[zaheer.bakshi]

[prashantsingh]

here is an example.
The headlines the next morning should have been FRI maneater shot dead. everything else could come later.
A vet declaring an animal not a maneater is akin to a doctor declaring a dead man not a murderer.

[airgun_novice]

To get an idea of IQ of most detractors, here's a comment I found most interesting -
"One poster: Vikram , who asked to built d forest research centre in d middle of a jungle?? "

Though Vikram pointed out that the Institute was over a CENTURY old...

Gosh ! We do need to start a signature campaign to built a FOREST RESEARCH CENTER in some swanky glass and steel highrise in downtown Mumbai or Delhi...
These are the self-proclaimed "doves" that keep dancing on the chessboard knocking the pieces of logic and reason out.

regs
A.

[AgentDoubleS]

A vet declaring an animal not a maneater is akin to a doctor declaring a dead man not a murderer.

That was a brilliant summation, Prashant. Couldn't stop laughing.

[zaheer.bakshi]

[prashantsingh]

Here you can see. That the heading itself was a blatent lie.
Yellow Journalism.
The journalist who wrote the article has probably seen less leopards in the wild
Than the number of maneaters Singh has shot

[prashantsingh]

The next morning was spent in making the impression pads.
I had located three places from where I expected the maneater to come.
The grass was cleared in the area and the earth dug up and made soft. Fine snad was sprinkled and the surface was made smooth.
The call of the Titehri (lapwing) had given me an idea from where the leopard had jumped the wall and walked in the straight line towards the bait.
Even if the maneater returned tonight. We would be able to record the pug marks . This would gie us vital information on the sex and approximate size of the maneater.
I was confident and possitive , but the maneater turned out to be smarted than what I had expected.
It came that evening . From the same direction. But carefully avoided putting even a single step on any of the three impression pads.

Again this is normal big cat behaviour.
When one is working with impression pads one has to redo them every day. Resurface the smooth surface.
Any change in the natural trail alarms the animal. Normally it takes a big cat three to four days to get used to the change and then one starts to get the perfect pug mark impressions.

[prashantsingh]

There would be a change in plan tonight.
Panditji , Samarjeet, Thomas and Sudhir would search the area with the flash light.
Singh and I would sit on the machaan with the rifles.
Zaheer. The youngest amongst the team mates and with the best set of eyes would sit with the flash light in the middle.

The bait would be replaced.
A black goat, a little smaller in size was tied.
This one was bleating from the start.

I wore the lucky charm Shooter had gifted me on my last hunt (in England).
Zaheer wore his favourite pants. The ones he had worn when we shot the Fulsaini maneater.
We said a little prayer and got on to the machaan.
Exactly an hour before sunset.

[prashantsingh]

At exactly 7 pm we heard the call of jungle babbler
I felt my heart beat rise. Took in a few deep breaths.
15 minutes later we heard the lapwings frantic call.
The maneater had arrived.
Jumping over the boundary wall. It crossed the first field which is as large as this one. Then the road leading to the house.
We saw it as a dark outline when it moved down from the road.
It moved in exactly in the same way as it did the previous evening. Today Singh was looking in the same direction . He spotted the movement as well.
We could barely see the outline. It came mid way and sat. Looking in our direction. At this moment the goat started to bleat frantically.
I was wondering if I should take the shot.
We could only see the head.
But we had left the decission on Zaheer to switch on the light

[zaheer.bakshi]

FOREST RESEARCH INSTITUTE DEHRADUN ( Photo Courtesy - Google )


Google Map of the Bunglow Number 9 (FRI)

[prashantsingh]

Thanks Zaheer for those lovely snaps.
Huntergill
Sir, See for yourself where the FRI trekking trail is. Your info is based on the media. But if you ask any Forest Officer from the FRI they will tell you that the trap had actually been placed on that Trekking Trail which is well within the thick forest and nowhere near the field as mentioned by the media.
That's the place where the male leopard was trapped.
The maneater on the other hand was actually shot on exactly the same spot where it had left the girl. Within the compound , in the field of Bungalow Number 9.

[prashantsingh]

Coming back to the hunt.
The maneater took some good ten minutes. Looking at the bait and turning it's head and looking at towards the machaan.
And then it just vanished for another 10 minutes.
I actually thought that it had gone and we had missed another chance to bag it.
There was about a foot and a half high crop in the fields and we justcould not see it. It was crawling towards the bait and we could nighter see or hear anything.
We saw it finally pounce on the goat and grab it by the neck.
The goat was bleating like crazy when Zaheer pulled up the flashlight.
Singh and I pulled up our rifles simultaneously.
We had decided that the moment the light was switched on . We would fire together.
AT the count of three.
One , two ...Bang.
Thats exactly how it went.
But to our dismay the leopard left the bait and ran away.
The goat lay dead and the leopard was gone.

[prashantsingh]

There was dissapointment on the machaan. It had just not gone the way we had expected it.
The sound of the two rifle shots were heard far and wide and the rest of the team (in the jeep) decided to come back to the machaan.
All the action had taken just about 10 seconds (or perhaps less).
After 10 minutes we got down and went up to the spot.
Zaheer spotted some blood on the ground.
Singh said "It must be the goat".
But then Zaheer spotted more blood and more.
The maneater had been hit .

"Dangerous game get's dangerous after the first shot is fired".
That what my professional hunter had told me when I was hunting in Africa.
This was probably the more dangerous part of the hunt. We had on our hands an animal which was injured and we had to follow it up on foot. In a dark moonless night.
The rest of the team had not yet returned.
Here I must complement Zaheer for his bravery and sharp senses. He followed the trail like a blood hound. Fearlessly leading the way.
Singh and I were armed. Zaheer only had a flashlight.
Every step was taken with caution.
The blood trail took us to the wall.
The maneater had jumped over the wall into the thick forests.
Beyond the wall we saw a pool of blood.
The jungle was dense and we decided to wait for the rest of the team to arrive. We now needed all our shotguns.
and they were all in the jeep.
Here I must point out that hunting a maneater is a team effort. Every member of the team is as important. The person driving the jeep is as important as the person showing the flashlight. The person setting up the machaan is as important as the one squeezing the trigger.
It is our policy to always give credit to the entire team and not the individual who fires the shot.

[prashantsingh]

The greatest of hunters miss the target at times.
Hunting in England a couple of years back with shooters. I had taken three deer and a rabbit. All with single shots.
I had also missed a rabbit at 40 yards.
You get some . You miss some.

Singh was aiming for the neck . I was aiming for the heart.
The moment we fired . The goat put in an all out effort to release it from the leopard's clutches.
Both bait and the predator were thrust forward.
"My shot is a complete miss. You have hit the animal in the abdomen." said Singh.

We crossed the wall when the rest of the team arrived. Thomas took over from here and followed the blood trail.
There was blood on the leaves and on the ground.
On one rock we saw a lump of tissue.
The undergrowth was too dense to penetrate.
On seeing the tissue. Singh said "We will call off the hunt now. I am 100 % sure this animal will be dead by morning."
This is where those 18 years of experience counts. As the team leader Singh was not just responsible for his life but the safety and welfare of all the other team members.
We came back to the Rest House and sat down to discuss the plan of action for the following morning.
We would start at first light and follow the blood trail fromwhere we last left it.