The Man Eater Which Accidentally Ambushed Me!

[Major Khan]

Tonight , I shall be sharing a very particular reminiscence of mine, with our fellow members of Africa Hunting Forums ...
a reminiscence which is actually quite hilarious in hind sight now that I am writing about it after 52 years . However , at the time it was actually a fairly hair raising experience .
This article shall detail the time when a man eating forest panther accidentally got the drop on me ( quite literally , as you all shall eventually discover ) while I was attempting to hunt it down . The fore gone conclusion of this story is that the incident ended on a happy note for me , because ( obviously ) I survived the incident to write about my adventures today . However , it was actually quite a terrifying experience for me at the time. Let us turn the clock back now , Dear Readers ... to September , 1968 in Nagpur , India .

Below , I have provided a photograph kindly lent to me by my good friend and fellow forum member , @Panther Shooter of a man eating forest panther which he had dispatched 46 years ago ... as a reference . As usual , I shall be providing a photograph of the brute which was involved in this particular incident .... At the climax of this 3 part article .

 

[Panther Shooter]

Major , Sir
Is this the incident involving the banyan tree , or the incident involving the uneaten human corpse ?

 

[Major Khan]

Since July , there had been an increasingly growing number of disconcerting reports about the presence of a man eating forest panther ... which had been operating around the borders of the Maharashtra state of India . The brute had been responsible for fatally mauling and killing at least 7 local villagers ... 4 of whom were fully grown men. Thus , it was reasonable for the local authorities and forest department officials to assume that this particular man eating forest panther must have been a fairly large and strong 1 in his/her prime . 1 which felt completely comfortable and unhesitant to attack anyone whom it crossed paths with . This was a stark contrast to the smaller man eating village panthers and man eating clouded panthers which (would) only attack frail, elderly people or small children.
The local authorities were offering a reward of 500 Rupees to any shikaree for successfully dispatching the man eater .

At the time , I was blissfully unaware of the existence of the man eater ... until by chance 1 day , when I happened to be hunting 4 horned buck around the borders of Maharashtra. It happened like this .

It was a Friday when I had decided to travel to the forests around the border , early in the morning with young Ponual ( my trusty servant boy )... with the intention of hunting a brace of 4 horned bucks , for the pot. The venison of 4 horned buck is unrivaled by any other game animal in terms of it’s delicious taste and I greatly lament that I have never been able to taste this fine delicacy ever again , after 1970 .
I resolved that the ideal course of action in order to hunt both of the 4 horned bucks ... would be to conduct a beat . Ponual and I were able to pay a dozen of the local village men to act as our beaters , in order to drive the 4 horned bucks towards my direction .

And thus , the time had come to execute my plan . Ponual , the beaters and I all took up our respective positions in a small patch of forested area ... where we all knew that 4 horned buck could always easily be found in great abundance . The beaters began to dutifully conduct the beat , while Ponual climbed up the top of palm tree with a pair of binoculars... in order to acquire an over head view of the whole scene , and tell me if he spotted the 4 horned bucks coming towards my direction . In the mean time ... I waited, holding my old 12 Bore Belgian shot gun . Each barrel was loaded with an Eley Alphamax 2.75 inch 36 gram AAA cartridge ( which held 44 pellets to the cartridge) . Nothing can surpass a 12 Bore shot gun , loaded with AAA cartridges for the purposes of hunting 4 horned buck during beats .
Below, I have provided a photograph taken by myself of my faithful “ Old Belgian “ .

Below, I have provided a photograph taken by myself of a brace of Winchester Australia 12 Bore 32 gram 2.75 inch AAA cartridges, for reference ( since countless of my dear American readers are unfamiliar with the old colonial British shot size measurements , which we use in India and Bangladesh) . However , please bear in mind that I used to exclusively make use of Eley 12 Bore cartridges, back in those days .

Around half an hour passed , before Ponual loudly shouted to me , “ Poton Bhai Saap ! Wo agiya ! “ ( Brother Poton ! The 4 horned bucks are coming towards us ! )
I readied my “ Old Belgian “ as I saw a half dozen 4 horned bucks coming towards my direction... being driven by the beaters . I set my eyes on the 2 largest specimens and waited for the them to get within 25 feet of me . Instantly , I gave them both a quick left and right with my shot gun . Those 2 36 gram charges of English AAA instantly made short work of both the 4 horned bucks . I let the other animals escape in to the forest , unmolested because I had already acquired my requisite amount of venison .
Below, I have provided a photograph taken by myself of a 4 horned buck (far left ) which I had successfully hunted in Nagpur in the early 1960s .

I sat down on a rock , while Ponual took out his Rampuri Chaku ( a locally made large Indian clasp knife , with a clip point bowie style blade ... made from the leaf springs of disused motorized vehicles) and began to field dress the 2 4 horned bucks ... which I had shot . Looking at the hard working beaters ( whom I knew greatly enjoyed game meat , but could rarely acquire any ... since they did not possess or have access to any fire arms ) , I had a small change of heart and resolved to let the poor men have 1 of the 4 horned bucks which I had shot . Anticipating a supplement of fresh venison to their meagre diet ... all of the beaters thanked me and Ponual for our generosity . We all began to make our way towards the village , where Ponual and I had my Land Rover Series 1 parked. Ponual and I were both intending to set off back to Nagpur, as soon as possible. We hoped to return to my maternal grand father by supper time , with the fresh venison .

Upon reaching the village ... we were all greeted by a sight from Hell itself . A sight which effectively killed all our positive moods , entirely . There , lying near a pile of broken wheel barrows ... was the fresh corpse of a young village teen age girl . She could possibly not be more than 16 years old . The very 1st glance made it crystal clear that her throat had been completely torn out by a savage beast . Her rib cage had been torn open and her lungs were pierced . Her abdomen had also been ripped open and her entrails were jutting out , on to the ground . But only just . Her entire face and chest had been viciously mutilated and looked as if someone had driven a lawn mower over the poor , young girl . Her injuries looked disturbingly fresh and a few drops of blood were still oozing out of her countless wounds .
It did not take me even 2 seconds to deduce what fate had befallen this poor girl . There is only 1 culprit in the dense forests of India ... which could be capable of this level of carnage .

A forest panther .

 

[flatwater bill]

Friend Poton.............I don't know what the exchange rate was back in those days, but when I was in India late Feb and March this year, it was 72:1. If that held, then authorities were offering about 7 bucks (500 Rupees) to kill that panther! Sad to think of a child struck down, even after many years have passed. Eagerly awaiting the rest of the adventure......thanks so much for posting..................Bill

 

[Brent in Az]

A thrilling tale. I can only imagine how many people of India have have perished from maneaters over the years.

 

[Major Khan]

It immediately became crystal clear to all of us that the panther had just fatally mauled this poor girl ... mere minutes before Ponual , the beaters and I had returned to the village . However , the fact that the girl’s corpse had remained completely uneaten ... was a very good indication that the panther must have been disturbed by some thing which caused it to quickly flee in to safety of the thickets . Ponual and I remained behind , with the corpse ... while the beaters in to the village in order to hurriedly alert the villagers about the unfortunate girl’s demise .

In a few minutes, all of the inhabitants at the entire village had surrounded the corpse and were howling and wailing in panic , about the return of the man eater .
I immediately inquired as to what they had meant by the word , “ Returned” . To my great bemusement ... The villagers fearfully told me that there was a man eating forest panther operating around the area , which had already claimed the lives of no less than 7 villagers in the village since the last 2 months . Ponual asked them if any of the villagers know who the teen aged girl was . Predictably enough , none of the villagers were even remotely distraught about the girl’s death . The girl was from the lowest Hindu caste and thus the other villagers did not even consider her to be a human being . Further to this ... the other villagers immediately recognized her as a local prostitute ,and did not even want to “ dirty their hands “ by touching her corpse ( Yet funnily enough , I always speculated that many a local village man must have surely enjoyed her “ services “ in secrecy ... back when she was alive ) .

I took a closer look at the pug marks around the girl’s corpse and knew that we were dealing with a male forest panther . The wound patterns on the chest of the girl , were indicative of a forest panther which used more force in it’s right fore paw than it’s left fore paw . I knew immediately that the panther must have incurred some injury on it’s left fore paw. No doubt , this was what had turned the brute in to a man eater ( I would eventually learn that this speculation of mine , was 100 % correct ) .

Below , I have provided a photograph taken by @Panther Shooter of the pug marks of a man eating male forest panther .

Since the panther was unable to actually commence EATING any part of the girl’s corpse... I knew that it WOULD return to finish the meal after sun down , provided that the corpse remained undisturbed . Therefore ( in the absence of any nearby trees on which a macchan could be built ) , I ordered the villagers to commence digging a hole in the ground ... which I intended to use as a hiding spot , in order to ambush the man eater . I intended to use the girl’s corpse as bait and ordered the villagers to take great care in order to make sure that no one moved the corpse in any manner. It had to look completely unmolested and untouched . Panthers are the single most cunning and alert of India’s “ Dangerous 6 “ . If there was even the slightest indication that the corpse had been “ tampered with “ ... then, the panther would bolt immediately and my opportunity to dispatch it would be forfeit.

I had the villagers light a small fire inside the hole and fan the smoke ,all the way around the hole ... in order to kill or draw out any snakes, mice , insects or other pests which might have been lurking around, inside the hole. As an added precautionary measure ... I then sprayed half a tin of insect repellent in to the hole .
I then sent all of the villagers in to their houses for the rest of the day ... telling them to refrain from stepping out of their houses until sun rise . I had Ponual go to the village tea stall and the local bazaar , in order to purchase some “ parathas “ ( crispy deep fried flour flat breads ) and fine grain salt . I used a box of matches and some fallen tree leaves and branches to light a small , smoky fire . After skewering the venison from the 4 horned buck on a sharp wooden stick and seasoning it with fine grain salt ... we proceeded to spit roast the venison over the smoky fire .

We both enjoyed a simple, but delicious meal of spit roasted venison and parathas ... before the time came to part ways for the night . Since there were no trees for Ponual to climb up on and safely provide me with over head surveillance ( like he normally would do ... during most of my night time shikars for panthers by the use of baits ) ... I was flat out unwilling to let Ponual risk his life by staying on the ground level with me. Especially , since he did not possess any fire arms, himself . The brave lad was extremely hesitant to leave my side and insisted that he remain with me. As touched as I was , by Ponual’s undying loyalty to me... I insisted that he sleep in my Land Rover Series 1 that night , as an added safety measure. The boy finally ( reluctantly) agreed to stay with the car .

I loaded both the chambers of my “ Old Belgian “ with my hand loaded 3 inch Eley Alphamax magnum “ High Brass “ spherical ball cartridges and used a small strip of masking tape to secure a small ( but fairly potent ) pencil torch light to the fore end of my shot gun . Then , I made a crude “ thatch “ out of hay and slid in to the hole. I used the hay thatch to cover the top of the hole .... leaving a tiny gap , in order for me to keep my eyes on the direction where the girl’s corpse lay .

My long night of waiting and staying alert ... had begun .

 

[Ridgewalker]

And again the tension builds! I do so enjoy these wonderful tales of times gone by!
Looking forward to the final episode! Oh this was the third part! I hope there’s more? Don’t leave us hanging on!!!

 

[Major Khan]

I waited and I waited and I waited inside that dark hole ... cautiously keeping my gaze on the corpse of the girl . This was what had almost proved to be my undoing ( as all of my dear readers shall be reading below , very soon ) .

At around 9:45 PM ... I was eagerly looking at the corpse of the girl , tightly clutching my “ Old Belgian “ . What happened next ... can only be described in 2 words - “ Adrenaline Pumping “ . The hay thatch covering the top of the hole completely gave out , from the weight of .... some thing .The “ Thing “ was gigantic and heavy and it crashed right in to the hole ... about a foot away from me ! My reaction was instinctive and instant . I did not even need to flick on my pencil torch light ... in order to see what my unwitting companion was . It was so close to me that I could very clearly see what it was . It was the man eater . The Forest panther whom I had been seeking to ambush . He had ambushed me . Not intentionally, however . He looked just as terrified and confused , as I did .
In a fraction of a second ... I snapped up my “ Old Belgian “ to my shoulder and pulled the left trigger... my point of aim being the region right between the brute’s 2 eyes . My old shot gun roared and spat fire , as blood and brains splattered all over my Brook’s Brothers oxford cotton button down collar shirt . The massive form just collapsed on to the floor of the hole ... it’s hind legs , giving out 1st . The whole affair had lasted only 2 seconds , at most . Probably less . However, those vital few moments of me , raising my shot gun up to my shoulder... had seemed to last for ages .
I flicked on my pencil torch light and looked at the lifeless brute ...laying hardly a foot away from me . True enough... It was the man eater .

Below , I have provided a photograph taken by myself of the slain brute .

I immediately scurried out of the hole and was greeted by the sight of loyal Ponual running towards me ... followed by a dozen of the crazed villagers , who were wielding sickles and axes ( in order to use them as improvised weapons against the man eater , if need be ) . I yelled , “ Ponual ! Adam Khor Chita Baagh Mar Gaya ! Meye Saley Ka Khatam Kardiya ! “ ( Ponual ! The man eating forest panther is no more ! I have successfully gotten rid of the brute ! ) .
My trusty comrade immediately took to supervising the village men on how to flay the forest panther ... so that we could conduct a field post mortem . The results were interesting ... to say the least .

 

[Major Khan]

Upon conducting a post mortem ... I realized that my initial speculation had been correct. There , lodged in the left shoulder of the brute... were 3. 0.36 calibre lead pellets of LG shot size ... clearly hand moulded . There was another similar LG pellet lodged in the nostril of the forest panther . And another Lg pellet lodged in the left eye of the brute. His wounds were beginning to turn gangrenous and there were even maggots squirming around , inside his wounds . The wide spread of LG pellets were indicative of an operator who had used a smooth bore gun with absolutely no degree of choke in the barrel . What I deduced ... was that some irresponsible local poacher armed with a “ Jin Jal “ ( a locally made Indian match lock muzzle loading smooth bore musket ) had in all probability , taken a shot at the panther with a charge of “ Chawrah Guli “ ( Locally moulded Indian LG pellets ) . He hoped to secure a nice forest panther skin for selling to the black market ... and in doing so, ended up inadvertently unleashing a man eater upon the villagers . The brute weighed 182 pounds and had a nose to tail length of just above 7 feet .

The fact that the forest panther had been blinded in 1 eye could possibly explain why it had tumbled in to the hole , where I had been hiding at night . I had been most fortunate to be able to quickly shoot him ... before he actually became aware of what was going on. “ Sheer Luck “ would be the most appropriate word , I suppose.

The next day , I showed the skin of the dispatched man eater to the local village chief ... and I happily collected my 500 Rupees. Before leaving ... Ponual decided to do something noble ( which the good fellow was often wont to do ) . He requested if we could give the dead 16 year old girl’s corpse a proper Hindu cremation . Acting indifferent on the outside , I told Ponual “ Zurur” ( Of course , we can ) . Deep on the inside ... I was actually proud of my trusty servant boy . Unlike the villagers ... Ponual truly had a heart of gold , and a great degree of humanity and empathy in him . He did not care about the fact that the dead girl was a lowest caste prostitute . He merely saw her as another human being . Thus , I used a little bit of the 500 Rupees reward money , to purchase some lakhree ( funeral pyre fire wood ) and a white , seamless piece of cotton cloth . I watched Ponual wrap the deceased girl’s corpse in the white , cotton cloth and I layered the lakhree over her corpse . Then ... I took out a box of matches from the breast pocket of my shirt , got 1 out and lit it . Ponual chanted a small Hindu prayer and took the match from my hand . He lit the funeral pyre , and both watched the girl’s corpse disintegrate to ash. Ponual collected the girl’s ashes and scooped them in to a small clay pot . After that , we set off back to Nagpur ... in my Land Rover Series 1. On the way , Ponual dumped the dead girl’s ashes in to a small flowing stream on 1 side of the road .

When I later shared this story with old Tobin and his wife , 2 days later while enjoying dinner with them ... they both told me that surely the Lord / Allah was watching over me that night . I had an extremely close shave with a man eating forest panther . Yet , I had walked away from the ordeal ...completely unscathed .
I realized that henceforth, whenever I would need to ambush a forest panther ( or indeed, any dangerous game) by hiding in a hole in the ground ... I would need to slightly modify my existing strategy . What had happened that night in the hole ...was surely a very clear sign from God . I could not tempt fate any longer.

I resolved to start placing sharpened wooden or bamboo stakes vertically , on top of the hay thatch being used to cover the hole. This was done , as an added safety measure ... in order to deter the panther from walking towards/ over the hole where I would be hiding. The panther would then , be FORCED to walk AROUND the hole in order to reach the bait .
Below , I have provided a simple and crude diagram of the whole affair. Hopefully , this shall allow me dear readers to properly imagine and picture the arrangement ( Please pardon my atrocious English hand writing ) .

I sincerely hope that this article has proven enjoyable to all my fellow members of African Hunting Forums . Hopefully, I shall commence writing my next article for the forums after 3 days. I intend to write a reminiscence about an incident involving a devious Asian Sloth Bear .

THE END

 

[Panther Shooter]

Major, Sir
This was another fascinating story of yours . By God’s Grace , none of the 25 man eating leopards which I ever had to contend with , could ever get any closer to me than four meters .However, I was blessed to always be using either a .375 Holland & Holland Magnum or a 7 millimeter Remington Magnum . I initially thought that you were going to relate the story about the Clouded Leopard and the banyan tree.

 

[gillettehunter]

What a story. Quite the surprise when a panther joins you in your hole. Good thing he was as surprised as you. Thanks for sharing this interesting chapter from your life.
Bruce

 

[Brent in Az]

Another exciting, and well written tale of adventure.! Ponual, did a very kind thing, by giving that poor young girl a decent internment.

 

[Major Khan]

Friend Poton.............I don't know what the exchange rate was back in those days, but when I was in India late Feb and March this year, it was 72:1. If that held, then authorities were offering about 7 bucks (500 Rupees) to kill that panther! Sad to think of a child struck down, even after many years have passed. Eagerly awaiting the rest of the adventure......thanks so much for posting..................Bill

Thank you so much for your kind words , Bill . I should only hope that you should enjoy the rest of my reminiscence .
Back in those days , you could purchase an entire meal with just 1 Rupee !
I purchased my beloved Old Belgian shot gun from a departing British tea planter for only 50 Rupees , back in 1959.

 

[Major Khan]

And again the tension builds! I do so enjoy these wonderful tales of times gone by!
Looking forward to the final episode! Oh this was the third part! I hope there’s more? Don’t leave us hanging on!!!

Why , thank you so much , Ridge Walker. I should only hope that you shall enjoy the rest of it .

 

[Major Khan]

Major, Sir
This was another fascinating story of yours . By God’s Grace , none of the 25 man eating leopards which I ever had to contend with , could ever get any closer to me than four meters .However, I was blessed to always be using either a .375 Holland & Holland Magnum or a 7 millimeter Remington Magnum . I initially thought that you were going to relate the story about the Clouded Leopard and the banyan tree.

Fortunately for me , Panther Shooter...
Hunting forest panthers is my favorite sport of ALL time . There is nothing quite so thrilling like it , is there ?
I am quite certain that you feel the same way , my friend .

 

[Major Khan]

What a story. Quite the surprise when a panther joins you in your hole. Good thing he was as surprised as you. Thanks for sharing this interesting chapter from your life.
Bruce

Oh ... you have no idea , Bruce ! The brute just LANDED right in front of me .... all lost and confused . It would have been a real shame to delay sending that 1 ounce spherical lead ball through his head , at point blank range.

 

[Major Khan]

Another exciting, and well written tale of adventure.! Ponual, did a very kind thing, by giving that poor young girl a decent internment.

Thank you so much , Brent . Ponual had a heart like no other . To him ... only 1 religion existed in this world . And that religion was humanity . Even though he was my servant boy ... I had learnt a great deal from him . He made me a far better human being , than I otherwise would have been ... had I never had the privilege of meeting him.

 

[Wyatt Smith]

Holy smokes, Major! I sure am glad you didn’t miss. I fear I would have wet my pants if a man eating Panther fell into my foxhole.

 

[mark-hunter]

I sincerely hope that this article has proven enjoyable to all my fellow members of African Hunting Forums .

This is great article, Sir. Your narrative keeps me glued to the screen!
Thank you for sharing!

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Since July , there had been an increasingly growing number of disconcerting reports about the presence of a man eating forest panther ... which had been operating around the borders of the Maharashtra state of India . The brute had been responsible for fatally mauling and killing at least 7 local villagers ... 4 of whom were fully grown men. Thus , it was reasonable for the local authorities and forest department officials to assume that this particular man eating forest panther must have been a fairly large and strong 1 in his/her prime . 1 which felt completely comfortable and unhesitant to attack anyone whom it crossed paths with . This was a stark contrast to the smaller man eating village panthers and man eating clouded panthers which (would) only attack frail, elderly people or small children.
The local authorities were offering a reward of 500 Rupees to any shikaree for successfully dispatching the man eater .

At the time , I was blissfully unaware of the existence of the man eater ... until by chance 1 day , when I happened to be hunting 4 horned buck around the borders of Maharashtra. It happened like this .

It was a Friday when I had decided to travel to the forests around the border , early in the morning with young Ponual ( my trusty servant boy )... with the intention of hunting a brace of 4 horned bucks , for the pot. The venison of 4 horned buck is unrivaled by any other game animal in terms of it’s delicious taste and I greatly lament that I have never been able to taste this fine delicacy ever again , after 1970 .
I resolved that the ideal course of action in order to hunt both of the 4 horned bucks ... would be to conduct a beat . Ponual and I were able to pay a dozen of the local village men to act as our beaters , in order to drive the 4 horned bucks towards my direction .

And thus , the time had come to execute my plan . Ponual , the beaters and I all took up our respective positions in a small patch of forested area ... where we all knew that 4 horned buck could always easily be found in great abundance . The beaters began to dutifully conduct the beat , while Ponual climbed up the top of palm tree with a pair of binoculars... in order to acquire an over head view of the whole scene , and tell me if he spotted the 4 horned bucks coming towards my direction . In the mean time ... I waited, holding my old 12 Bore Belgian shot gun . Each barrel was loaded with an Eley Alphamax 2.75 inch 36 gram AAA cartridge ( which held 44 pellets to the cartridge) . Nothing can surpass a 12 Bore shot gun , loaded with AAA cartridges for the purposes of hunting 4 horned buck during beats .
Below, I have provided a photograph taken by myself of my faithful “ Old Belgian “ .
View attachment 342787
Below, I have provided a photograph taken by myself of a brace of Winchester Australia 12 Bore 32 gram 2.75 inch AAA cartridges, for reference ( since countless of my dear American readers are unfamiliar with the old colonial British shot size measurements , which we use in India and Bangladesh) . However , please bear in mind that I used to exclusively make use of Eley 12 Bore cartridges, back in those days .
View attachment 342789

Around half an hour passed , before Ponual loudly shouted to me , “ Poton Bhai Saap ! Wo agiya ! “ ( Brother Poton ! The 4 horned bucks are coming towards us ! )
I readied my “ Old Belgian “ as I saw a half dozen 4 horned bucks coming towards my direction... being driven by the beaters . I set my eyes on the 2 largest specimens and waited for the them to get within 25 feet of me . Instantly , I gave them both a quick left and right with my shot gun . Those 2 36 gram charges of English AAA instantly made short work of both the 4 horned bucks . I let the other animals escape in to the forest , unmolested because I had already acquired my requisite amount of venison .
Below, I have provided a photograph taken by myself of a 4 horned buck (far left ) which I had successfully hunted in Nagpur in the early 1960s .
View attachment 342790
I sat down on a rock , while Ponual took out his Rampuri Chaku ( a locally made large Indian clasp knife , with a clip point bowie style blade ... made from the leaf springs of disused motorized vehicles) and began to field dress the 2 4 horned bucks ... which I had shot . Looking at the hard working beaters ( whom I knew greatly enjoyed game meat , but could rarely acquire any ... since they did not possess or have access to any fire arms ) , I had a small change of heart and resolved to let the poor men have 1 of the 4 horned bucks which I had shot . Anticipating a supplement of fresh venison to their meagre diet ... all of the beaters thanked me and Ponual for our generosity . We all began to make our way towards the village , where Ponual and I had my Land Rover Series 1 parked. Ponual and I were both intending to set off back to Nagpur, as soon as possible. We hoped to return to my maternal grand father by supper time , with the fresh venison .

Upon reaching the village ... we were all greeted by a sight from Hell itself . A sight which effectively killed all our positive moods , entirely . There , lying near a pile of broken wheel barrows ... was the fresh corpse of a young village teen age girl . She could possibly not be more than 16 years old . The very 1st glance made it crystal clear that her throat had been completely torn out by a savage beast . Her rib cage had been torn open and her lungs were pierced . Her abdomen had also been ripped open and her entrails were jutting out , on to the ground . But only just . Her entire face and chest had been viciously mutilated and looked as if someone had driven a lawn mower over the poor , young girl . Her injuries looked disturbingly fresh and a few drops of blood were still oozing out of her countless wounds .
It did not take me even 2 seconds to deduce what fate had befallen this poor girl . There is only 1 culprit in the dense forests of India ... which could be capable of this level of carnage .

A forest panther .

Friend Ponton
The forest panther sounds a truly nasty bit of work. A PH in Namibia told me that a wounded leopard will attack every one in a group before leaving where as a lion will usually only kill one person and go.
He would prefer to face a wounded lion than a wounded leopard.
Cheers my Friend Bob