appearRarmachandra

more India ofa His history severalNature,

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Krishnan's and M.
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Krishnan
Foreignbooks amazing
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Field: prowess
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pioneer art,
NATURE'S
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Environmentalism:
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His folklore, as
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BOOKS
books wildlife in writer was
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Corner natural
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 Sittannavasal, M.
Krishnan

photographing
Pudukottai

District.
the
twelfth-century
frescoes at
(Photo:

Gopal

Gandbi)

OOKS
UIN
RAMACHANDRA
GUHA M.
Editedby Spokesman
Nature's
Krisbnan

and
Indian

Wildlife
 Permission
mechanical,
book. dbove,apublished
onotherwise,
prior This Printed
Typeset ISBN-13: reserved
rightsCopyrightO
All
10Introduction First Penguin
Publishedby Johannesburg
Penguin Penguin
(a PenguinBooks
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retrieval the 9 Ld) Penguin Penguin
la
India
017,110Published
PENGUIN
BOOKS
book 876 division divisionofPenguin Penguin Books
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subsequent at in
published
and Books Group Group
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PaulsSabon 54 Group Ireland,Books Group
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of 3 copyright ThePenguin
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Contents

ERS
FIVE14. DISAPPEARING
13. 12. THE11. 10. NATURE'S
MARVELS
9. 8. ASOKA'S
LIONS
7. 6. S. 4. 3. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
INTRODUCTION
VENERATED
2.NATURE
1

SOUTHERN DEPICTIONS
THESHAWK
A LIONS HANUMAN FABULAR
THEANCIENT FAUNA
OF THE
72 CHEETAH
ONTI,
HAMPION WHENDIE TIGER
ELEPHANTS
PYTHON
HOME AT TALK
A
N BIRD
AFTERNOON LANDSCAPE

OR EMBLEM

A 64 33
1
LONE 53
36
OF
FOR 42 28
IDYLL
LOVE ix
76 60 INDIA
39
56
68 23
46
 spotscould difference 11
said of like had and and not. thatAsked have Sivungi Hyderabad
in ofhis published
nocturnal
reported
motorist presumed
and voungextinct Disappearing
CheetahThe
a Kannada). Here, headlights, Leopard) is
and leopard
yes, scen
aQuestioned
nothe it seen sight-record anaturally
distinctly dog leopard was to (the cheetahs in vears
not thatbetween (or from
creature
it describe the some the India. that
and not cheetah, sid e insince
osettes-I was a beastWhen photograph got within
remember askedleopard!)because, over a local somewhere Some our
it,
about
he
leopard it,said of no the in anyone
the a had he I
shikaris
which
the that kudos jungles,
now if
solid 150didn't the questioned
said that Tungabhadra course time the
thought that that he yards seen, I
hadspots the
in specific he it
it is heard near
having
seen a for hisof inpast and came
was
the he he had was the said the
victims offifteen across
what
observed shadeaway, see, saidI seen, a him, aSivingi that Chitoor, a
1940s, I
creature
that had of differences Sivungi. fact was nocturnal
he am
a of it area,
usively been cheetahsquatting looked he he that the one at had to yearsafraid
a knew was in cheetah I prove a a
he this bush. Asked he man
Tamil,Muggumpi, of in think. done. nobleman or cheetah
renminded
had
difference, betweena
like it quite had July motor
and on was who them their so it
scen explained I a seen
if is 1951. The Later,
in it
must
ished the Sivungi.its sure he was the had (or
had rosettes
of haunches a was a last
tidentities
he drive, shot has
and Sivungi leopard Sivungi. it Sivungi
said seen on another
glare now
becomeHunting
solid it. sure claim three
hehe the He was and
a the of b

mewa, s itssestn atwice, kseigrnohtse,t es spots the

ilnodkaiwstrimn,ct uselessncss
t he movement, t e inainftontoIndi
defi
ment und
s . ain
,
ndulge
Panic in ( C he but advantage
no It almost andclaws the some sheltered orbush,handlersnhooded for recall
detail)
th is
taken
been
had and s por t anot
far Last
Was to
though doubt
can its ability
two--it The
fifty cheetah
the gomaharaj
t an d
a ma n 's a
However, one of
light),
first to
classification at being nearestto and it. from year Sivungi of of a
s the once claim of. and the I cheetah a
their few help of only yards, of is chase spectacle, run favourite
Following method
I only
with
but
leopard, of
blackbuck grazingevery from the th e released. Muggumpi met squatting had but persi dis t e
a c
mur
nce. ky,
acteristic
other
no bounds
substantially partially cat and only tunder he
is bush,
the to in downsomeonewhofrom positivelikelbutiest squatting his
are bush apart near athhunt, only from report,
herd a overhaul
family hunter fastest which fleeing and cart e asked I my in
left
animal are take crouching Thereupon traditional
where (or
blackbuck. to
the succeeded
or
s
in
hold
with
Dsappeariny
a Cheetah The
and retractile, se mi n d 150
far rather some before from animal quarry, sat for shade may mykeen because in
in dip (to that they the spending cheetahs grey yards the
nd can'high the which them
in perhaps a it a a had till
cross-examination,
imagination--both
be
th
launchinge start.
in can onsat they its the buck
herd account
detailed imported of that away,shade he
from
vertake high, tim e the true and within Never last it He
byjnks'effectiveness solidly shade. of
mode, travelled awas seennothad they if
provoking who
This, it gi v e earth cheetahs year. itbush,
s
the even to ground its
cats)belongs, had having of
was the time. four is
uck. them but reach itsgreyhound-like
and blackbuck two for on.
retreated Egged African
miles which, notbush
acan
to was hooded Sotimes, that still were tell
scatter when theirheadlong tothe reach furlongs. theWell, promptly jeep witnessed for gifted
any as of get way in grazing, of
cheetahs to I he the from the
th ey first on th e dismissed theanimals
the at best its as top spite a well! to by cheetahs a assured animal shikari to
he
area with thesolid
ates hunting, clo se it furlong
start a made cannot place 65
cheetah once do speed attack, takes build, ofhas
speed It more their then the of be
not as its of
in
 ck's!haturaly
desirable
the exhaustion.
toand relays, tood processanimals tieet-tooted
its prisoners the was foclscwhere
r was India were ofSome tharmi e es n ttookchetah anitomalSmasl hlakw othnel caain mik out, ot
teach resistance
very hard held Oniy th e here,
indigenous-the
Indi a , Backbuck-hunting
pastime the keep It nming the
or
wereschool that fully sport in
for of ofold or t IDN
it scoldingpcace; of of
in a to
measurea run Then
sOon
attrition,
war. prey,
snared only adult was Asia,
India, in
centuries. an d thesecheetahs
was
days. goat aeverhas it
going. pr r ot
werae ined
gi
N
ves
s, cheetah'Spokesman
itdos snt the s \atures
tot animisal
pet
was
it was
shrill-voiced it
some
hunting
popular Some from of t h e
sUst
whose down
ofquite
handler
i
continually,
broken
ts The
not nature
of were
developed.
animals,
a that and
perhaps for a
been Ithe not cath over sd
dicnce captive and hunter the in And leopards
Deccan the the ofwitnearby
believe
h knownhill-dotted
cheetah (the up
the up O over
eed, buck,tame dissimilar caught Africa even speed havea
would down men
netted.
would that already art
although purpose, Mughal
cheetahs
past
n chase, m.p .h.
with known been
was even with
for night was of here--chinkara, amI
hen and
for village. to tense,: over
tothat toand had catching (where were
feed byandsecurely
and
,
obedient.
the
it modern training-as be
experienced the from thesome
emperors
scrub-jungles
attackcorrect long quarry for its with
made,
some
per's
already it women
sheer thenfittedlearnt strongholdthe importedlesser was unfortunately,
necessary is distance,
it
and day, tied and it Africa,
It methods tamed its
cheetahis hundreds a man, a in distances. does
puzzlement till sat up, for training still kings sport
callknew wasmake hunting maintained saying hares, not within and
it the in
in to of but from it
necessaty
was tomuch around
gave and by running and much but liked,
of afalconry,
sport. bewas th e of that have when
th e cheetahs Asia, Occasionalk and a Butquartet Stopwath a
iy do, given found),
ofand anu in it
treating curious skills
animal known majority chieftainethem. in hegtno all the cous buciof
the
gonH
o but
, 0 Ihe down noh reo v wid othe,
in it it in an oý

excellent itof
. wideexperiment,
this. evchusively etablished
to itablesuBgested
have I for cheenacious haveLoetah,
the Cince
enough liberation
Perhaps not
i
trouble and,t.
of
Dride
work as and areas. our and there
seen a
Madras toforwithout suficIently and far
sanctuary fauna, since is
in hold the any into as But no
expense
the animals
a such possible,
sanctuary an where revivalthe ofthe real
causestate, pair byanimal
Indian of to r difference
an stocked
rcintroduction
of or of getting free
which the are Dsappearing
two established t he
isCheetahThe
our or
the sanctuary animals
of wi th
stil
between
of
national
wildlife, has open a suitablecheetah,the to
exotic
cheetahs-nor in few the of be
offound the
recentcountry,territory,cheetahs isplants,fauna inported tareas?
he
can park
justified-such plains African
ancientlv so-recentlyAfrica, in
takeyears in
I lost
whichand India
is can from do Til
the done have sufficiently
not stock and
only we
I
1960 lead suchheard meant fail. Africa thinnative k peopleIndian
have into
in an