The Three Legged Terror of Santula Busty

by Krupa David

No! This was not a monster from outer space! It was a cunning leopard, which held sway over an entire village and its surrounding jungle, for over six months. This episode was in 1970, when I was posted in Hope T.E.

Santula Busty comprised of about twenty to thirty hutments built by displaced Nepalese from Bhutan who had crossed over and settled on Government Forest land about twenty odd kilometers on the Jhoolong road and west into the forest bordering Bhutan, about  five kilometers from the main road. This was a ‘cattle patti’ as the main occupation was rearing cattle (mostly mixed breed Holsteins and Friesians) and selling milk and milk products. There was no road linking this village but one could park the vehicle on the main road to the Hydel Project and walk the 5 km. I got to know them well, as many a weekend I would camp the night there after a day’s shooting.

One afternoon, whilst I was having my usual post lunch a lie back, my paniwallah knocked on the door and informed me that someone had come to see me. I was quite annoyed at being woken up from my siesta! Half an hour was all that we would get post lunch after a long day which started at six a.m. and which could go on to midnight if one had factory duty! I went out and saw a cowherd whom I knew from Santula Busty standing near the kitchen. Coming forward he salaamed and said “Hazoor, hamro gaon ma rakshash aako cha” (a devil/shaitan has entered our village) “What Rakshash?” I asked? “Bagh, Huzoor” he said. Now, ‘bagh’ is a common term that these people use for a Panther or Tiger.

He came out with the shocking story of a small girl aged about three years being carried away last month. The second incident was two weeks ago when a small boy again around four to five years of age was carried off right in front of his mother from the courtyard of their house at around seven pm. The third incident had taken place the previous evening  - when another small girl was lifted.

I was quite sceptical about this story as I was confident that leopards as a rule do not add human beings to their diet, especially around tea gardens. However, the cowherd assured me that indeed it was the doing of a ‘bagh’ as they found remains of two of the children and the mother had actually glimpsed the ‘bagh’ when it carried off the child. They had reported the matter to the police and the forest department but apparently no action was being taken as this was an unauthorized settlement.  

Promptly on Saturday morning (cajoled leave off the Manager!) armed with my .405 Winchester, we set off. My bearer packed up my stuff for an overnight stay. Two flash lights, the smaller one to clamp on to my rifle. Paratha rolls, flask of coffee, condensed milk, mosquito repellent, a loaf of bread, cheese/packet of butter, and six boiled eggs! Fresh chicken and mutton was always on the house i.e. Santula Busty!

I loaded everything onto my Ford V8, a big car bought from Jock McRae of Leesh River for 2,800 rupees! This was a 36H.P, monster a 1946 model and with most of the horses either dead or maimed! When I got married in 1972, Jyoti gave it one look and said, ‘either it is me or this ugly monstrosity –choose!!’ The choice was difficult but I decided to sell it off! By then it was in such shape that no one in his or her right mind would have bought it! Shamyal Babu of Nagrakata was persuaded to buy it for 500 rupees. The condition was that I pay him for towing it away! This was adding insult to injury.  I begged Bill to lend me a tractor to tow it down to Nagrakata. I loved this piece of junk. And it frequently broke down. Larry Brown, the Engineer Sahib at Bhogotpore, was my advisor on how to go about fixing it!

A present day image of the hydel project on the Jaldhaka river at the Bhutan border.  Pix from the internet

 I left at 5a.m. on a Saturday with my trusted shikari from No.2 line, Ignesh. He was a shikari par excellence. He was as tall as me whipcord thin and an excellent archer. (I have seen him in a beat , knocking down a running wild boar with a shaft through its neck, after the three guns who had a go at it, Donald Mackenzie, Ginger Craig and I, missed every shot!.) We reached the spot where I usually parked my car in an hour’s time. Gathering all my belongings we trudged the five odd kilometers to the village, arriving at around 7.30 a.m.

Ignesh was also trained by me to do some rudimentary cooking on our jaunts.  We were housed in a hut lent to us by the ‘headman’ of the settlement, Maila Pradhan. Out came the frying pan and soon I was seated on a log with a plate of fried eggs and my parathas! Ignesh preferred his egg boiled.

And thus we sat in companionable silence finishing our breakfast. Ignesh, by the way was also the Union leader of my division. Therefore it was a strategic alliance! I wished Dipu Rawat was with us. Dipu was the senior assistant at Hope and my Shikar companion. However Dipu and Meera were on leave.

Post breakfast we met some of the village elders and the little girl’s parents. After listening to their story, I assumed that this was a very small leopard and that was why it was targeting smaller prey. However the mother insisted that it was huge. The dimensions given to me would have put even the largest tiger to shame! The only thing to do now was to visit the spot and see for myself the spot where the remains were found.

Soon we were there and I could see nothing but bits of the little girl’s clothing and one rubber chappal. Casting around I was surprised to see the pug marks of the killer. It was apparent from the pugs  that the animal was indeed a big male leopard  - and only three pug marks were visible, there was just a faint impression where the fourth was.  

We retraced our steps and I decided to come back and sit up for the leopard at around four o’clock on the off chance that it may came back that evening. Now the leopard is a far more cunning creature that the tiger and one has to be extra careful in not giving any sign of one’s presence.

It was by now about midday and I suggested to Ignesh that he build my machan on a nearby Jarul tree from where I had a vantage view of the path and the spot where the body had lain.

At four, I was securely ensconced in my machan which was unobservable from all sides due to the heavy foliage of the Jarul. I had my water bottle, flask of coffee and my two flash lights. I was using my .405 but was not happy. For a leopard at close quarters a shot gun was ideal - loaded with L.G, this has tremendous stopping power at twenty yards and is a bone breaker.  

 It was the month of May and the afternoon was hot! Keeping still and motionless made it all the more uncomfortable. The air was still and not a breath of breeze was evident, not a jungle sound. It seemed that even the birds were in a deep stupor on this hot summer afternoon! Although sitting up over a kill is regarded by many as an irksome and tiring ordeal, to me it has always been a source of considerable pleasure, and perhaps this is because I am, above all else, a lover of nature!

Soon it was getting cooler and I heard the first Junglee Moorgi call followed by the “meaoo!” of a peafowl. Of the leopard there was no trace. A flock of ‘seven sisters’ alighted on a branch of the neighboring tree. They were in all probability regarding my hideout suspiciously! I knew that if they espied me, all would be over as they would get into a frenzy of raucous calls and alert everyone and especially the leopard.  

(to be continued)

  

Editor's note : 

shikari - hunter
shikar -hunting
machan - a platform built in a tree, originally used in hunting, and now for watching wildlife in reserves. 

junglee moorgee - wild fowl

Meet the writer: 

Krupa David with his wife Jyotsna

Krupa David : 'Joined Tea with Duncan Bros in 1969. The sterling companies split with Duncans and formed Goodricke Group.I remained with Goodrickes.In 1984 came to Calcutta as a V.A. In 1993 became Director and from 1991 January, took over the Group (Goodricke Group Limited, ,Amgoorie India Limited and Stewart Hall India Limited) as Managing Director.Retired on 01.01.2008.'