role of gurau, 58–59
Tipu’s Tiger, 15, 102–4
Rupal, 49–51, 81–82, 192–93
Rupal kills, 49–50, 82, 192–93
Rupal Man-Eater. See Champawat Tiger
Sah, Jai Lal, 239–40
Sahib, 3–4, 130, 132, 133, 236, 241
Sambar deer, 12, 18
San Francisco Zoo tiger attacks, 16–17
Sanjaya, 10, 56
Sanskrit, 53
Schaller, George, 18, 75, 189–91, 192
Scottish Highlands, 121–23
Second Anglo-Sikh War, 175–76
Shah, Girvan Yuddha Bikram, 67–68
Shah, Prithvi Narayan, 61, 64–66
Shah, Rajendra Bikram, 69
Shah dynasty, 34, 53–54, 61, 112
Anglo-Nepalese War, 65–67
royal tiger hunts, 63–64
Tharu and, 63–64, 66–69, 72
Shaitan, 228
Shakya Republic, 60
Sharda River, 85, 112, 192
Sharks, 17
Shark attacks, 5, 29–30
Sherwood Forest, 121
Shifting cultivation, 56–57
Shiva, 57
Shuklaphanta National Park, 50, 51, 74
Siberian tigers. See Amur tigers
Siege of Cawnpore, 176
Siegfried & Roy, 17
Silk Road, 97
Singh, Har, 161–66
Singh, Jaman, 207–8, 211
Singh, Kunwar, 159–67, 181
death of, 166
tiger attack, 161–66
Singh, Shiv Kumar, 33
“Sixth sense,” 168
Smilodons, 13
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, 16
Snakes, 106
South China tigers, 14
Soviet Union, 108
Spice Islands, 98
Spice trade, 97–98
Spittals, 122
Stealth capability of tigers, 38, 75, 205
Story, James, 97–98
Sumatran tigers, 14
Sundarbans
stigma of tiger attacks, 26–28
tiger attacks in the, 27–28, 46–48
Sunquist, Fiona, 41–42, 75
Sunquist, Mel, 41–42
Surendra of Nepal, 69
Sutlej Medal, 175
Tahsildar of Champawat
Corbett moves camp, 187, 195
Corbett’s arrival in Champawat, 185–87
the hunt, 195–96, 198–99, 201–2, 207
the beat (bagh shikar), 213–14, 217, 219, 221
death of tiger, 227, 229, 230
gunshots, 223–24
identity of, 185–86
Tamang, Kirti Man, 41–42
Tarzan, 90
Tent Life in Tigerland (Inglis), 216
Terai, 50–52, 54–61
Bengal tigers of, 15, 21, 50–52
elephants of, 63–64
history of, 64–74
Pahari and terai, 54–55
Tharu of, 21–22, 25, 52, 55–61, 112
use of term, 54
Terai Arc Landscape (TAL), 241
Thak Man-Eater, 234
Thakuri dynasty, 53
Than, 58
Thapar, Valmik, 4, 47, 78, 108
Tharu people, 21–22, 55–61, 112
agricultural practices, 56–57, 68–69
architecture, 134n
creation of Chitwan National Park and, 34, 36n
daily life and culture, 56–61
displacement of, 36n, 52
elephant husbandry of, 63–64
funeral rites, 26–27, 45
history of, 55–56, 66–75
malarial resistance of, 52, 55, 60, 68–69
map, xi
Rana dynasty and, 71–75
religion of, 57–59
royal tiger hunts, 63–64, 74
Shah dynasty and, 63–64, 66–69, 72
tigers and belief system, xiii, 25–27, 58–60, 119–20
Tibet, 113, 166
“Tiger 118,” 44
Tigers
Corbett and conservation of, 238–39, 241–43
divinity of, 93–95
hunting methods, 44–45, 141–42
life span of, 76–77
as nocturnal hunters, 141–42
population, 50–51, 126–27, 237–38, 241–43
taxonomy and evolution, 12–15, 52
territorial range of, 75–78, 191–94
Tiger attacks, 32–48
annual recorded tiger fatalities, 250
Baitadi District of 1997, 32–33, 251
categories of, 10–12
causes of. See Causes of tiger attacks
Champawat Tiger. See Champawat Tiger
Chitwan National Park incidents, 5, 34–37, 42–43, 77
Chowgarh Tigers, 234
Corbett and, 146–47, 233–34
defensive, 10–12, 40–41, 164, 203, 233–34
difficulty of documenting, 24–26, 233–34
Jim Corbett National Park incidents, 19, 32–33, 251–52
Jogi Pothi tiger, 45–46
Kaziranga National Park incident, 11–12, 16
Kunwar’s experience with, 161–66
lethal maulings, 38, 40–41
Madanpur attack of 1979, 42–43
Madi Valley tiger attack, 45–46
Nagpur Division incident, 39–41
San Francisco Zoo incident, 16–17
in the Sundarbans, 27–28, 46–48
Thak Man-Eater, 234
Tharu belief system and, 25–28
Tiger-human conflict, 2, 9–11, 20. See also Tiger attacks
Rana and, 74–75
Tharu belief system and, 25–28
Tiger hunting, xiii–xvi, 109–12. See also Champawat Tiger hunt; Royal tiger hunts
ban on, 85, 108
bounties, 110–11, 128–29, 247
of the British, 70–71, 100–106, 109–11, 128–29, 130–31
methods, 34–35, 63–64, 71, 85–86, 152–53
seasonal considerations, 153
Tiger Moon: Tracking the Great Cats in Nepal (Sunquist), 41–42
Tiger of Mysore, 15, 102–4
Tiger poaching, 46–47, 108, 116, 128, 159–60, 242
Tiger reserves, 50, 74–75. See also specific reserves
Tiger roar, 38
Tiger-shooting in India (journal), 104, 131
Tiger skins (pelts), 109, 242
Champawat skin, 229–31, 253–54
Tiger teeth, xvi, 12, 40
“Tiger-widows” of Sundarbans, 27–28
Timber trade, 71–72, 135–36
Times of India, 47, 119, 127, 146, 181, 182, 246–51
Tipu’s Tiger, 15, 102–4
Tipu Sultan, 15, 102–4
Trade, 71–72, 97–98
Treetops Lodge, 235
Tsavo Man-Eaters, 29, 253
Turner, J. E. Carrington, 79
Tyger (ship), 97–98
Vaghadeva, 94–95
Vaillant, John, 108–9
Vasco da Gama, 9, 97
Vhit-cloth technique, 35
Victoria, Queen of England, 70
Vishnu, 57, 184–85
Volunteer Officers’ Decoration, 236
Warli tribes, 94–95
Water, and tigers, 47–48
Wavell, Archibald Wavell, 1st Earl, 237–38
Webber, Thomas W., 54–55, 115
Wheat, 114
“White Man’s Burden, The” (Kipling), 130
Wildblood, Edward Harold, 123, 127, 246–47
“Wild child,” 90
Wilderness, British mandate to “tame,” 120–21
Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), 14
Wild Men and Wild Beasts, 131
Williamson, Thomas, 105
W.J. Jeffery & Co., 132
Wolf attacks, 121–23
“Wolf of Ederachillis, The,” 122–23
Wolves in Yellowst
one, 5
Woolly mammoths, 13
World War II, 238
World Wildlife Fund (WWF), 50–51, 242
Yellowstone wolves, 5
Yule, George, 109–10
Photo Section
The traditional tiger hunt, or bagh shikar, of the Indian nobility was conducted with bows and spears, and generally executed at a sustainable level. The hunt itself had ritualistic importance.
With the arrival of the British, the nature of the Indian tiger hunt changed. High-powered rifles replaced more traditional weaponry, and tigers were slaughtered wholesale from the backs of elephants. This photograph, taken in 1911, shows a colonial-style tiger hunt organized for King George V in the Nepalese terai.
Around 1907, reports began circulating throughout northern India of an exceptional man-eater: the so-called Champawat Tiger, responsible for more than four hundred deaths. The image of the tiger as a bloodthirsty predator was widely propagated during the colonial era, with their alleged aggressiveness used as an excuse to justify their eradication. The Champawat, however, was one of the few tigers that actually lived up to that reputation, as an injury sustained by a poacher’s bullet combined with a severely degraded habitat had forced it to begin hunting humans to survive.
A rare photo of Jim Corbett as a young man, taken while serving as a humble railroad employee, roughly around the time he first heard mention of the Champawat Tiger. The Corbett family was well-respected in Kumaon, by the Indian and British communities alike, although their Irish origins and limited finances kept them out of the upper echelons of the colonial elite. Jim was considered “country bottled,” a derogatory term used for European settlers born in India. (Courtesy of the Jim Corbett Museum in Choti Haldwani)
The natural habitat of the Royal Bengal tiger is the terai, the belt of marshy jungle that lies at the foot of the Himalayas. The Champawat Tiger almost certainly began its life in the terai, a place rich in game and mates. (Dane Huckelbridge)
Author’s photo of a pugmark in Nepal’s Chitwan National Park. Tigers are elusive predators, with the occasional footprint or dropping being the only hint at their presence. (Dane Huckelbridge)
The terai has been occupied for millennia by the Tharu, an indigenous ethnic group that has always held the tiger in high esteem. It was traditionally the role of the gurau, or village holy man, to execute the proper puja sacrifices and keep the forces of nature in harmony. If the spirits of the forest were offended, it was believed that a tiger could be an instrument of their revenge.
This photograph, taken during an expedition to Kumaon just prior to Jim Corbett’s hunt for the Champawat Tiger, shows the stark contrast between the porters from Nainital and the topi-capped hill dwellers, as the true Himalayas tower in the background. Corbett’s hunting party was was composed of both groups.
The cold, pine-capped foothills of the Himalayas are nothing at all like the lush jungles of the terai, but this was exactly where the Champawat Tiger would eventually hunt the bulk of its human victims. This photograph was taken by the author on the outskirts of Champawat, close to where the tiger killed its final victim. (Dane Huckelbridge)
This is one of the few surviving photographs of the Champawat Tiger’s taxidermied head, and convincing evidence of why it began hunting humans in the first place. Clearly visible are its missing lower canine and damaged upper canine teeth, an injury Corbett attributed to a poacher’s bullet early in life. (Courtesy of the Dalmia Family, Gurney House)
The bottom of the gorge where Corbett squared off and killed the Champawat Tiger. The author (middle) was taken there by two expert guides, both of whom knew local families that had participated in the hunt back in 1907. (Dane Huckelbridge)
After bringing down the Champawat Tiger, Jim Corbett acquired a reputation as the leading hunter of man-eaters. This ability served him well, at a time when deforestation and diminishing prey were driving more and more tigers and leopards to hunt humans as food. (Courtesy of the Jim Corbett Museum in Choti Haldwani)
Although occasionally misidentified as the Champawat, the tiger pictured here beside Corbett is the Bachelor of Powalgarh, shot in 1930, the largest cat Corbett would ever hunt.
Jim Corbett devoted the latter part of his life to tiger conservation. As an early proponent of protected tiger reserves, he played a crucial role in saving the species from extinction. This photograph, taken in the national park that today bears his name, shows a majestic specimen of the animal that Corbett loved above all others: the Bengal tiger. (SunnyMalhotral Shutterstock)
About the Author
DANE HUCKELBRIDGE has written for the Wall Street Journal, Tin House, The New Republic, and New Delta Review. He is the author of Bourbon: A History of the American Spirit; The United States of Beer: The True Tale of How Beer Conquered America, From B.C. to Budweiser and Beyond; and a novel, Castle of Water, which has been optioned for film. A graduate of Princeton University, he lives in Paris.
Discover great authors, exclusive offers, and more at hc.com.
Also by Dane Huckelbridge
Bourbon: A History of the American Spirit
The United States of Beer: The True Tale of How Beer Conquered America, From B.C. to Budweiser and Beyond
Castle of Water: A Novel
Copyright
NO BEAST SO FIERCE. Copyright © 2019 by Dane Huckelbridge. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
Cover design by Mumtaz Mustafa
Cover photograph © Zocha_K/istock/Getty images
FIRST EDITION
* * *
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Huckelbridge, Dane, author.
Title: No beast so fierce : the terrifying true story of the Champawat Tiger, the deadliest animal in history / Dane Huckelbridge.
Description: New York, NY : William Morrow, [2019] | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2018024761| ISBN 9780062678843 (hardcover) | ISBN 9780062678867 (trade paperback)
Subjects: LCSH: Tiger hunting—India—Anecdotes. | Tiger hunting—Nepal—Anecdotes. | Tiger—India—Anecdotes. | Tiger—Nepal—Anecdotes. | Corbett, Jim, 1875-1955.
Classification: LCC SK305.T5 H83 2019 | DDC 799.2/7756—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018024761
* * *
Digital Edition FEBRUARY 2019 ISBN: 978-0-06-267887-4
Version 01102019
Print ISBN: 978-0-06-267884-3
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* For those interested in a more detailed examination of documentary evidence, there is an epilogue at the end of the book which lists the various colonial records, newspaper articles, and physical artifacts that specifically mention the Champawat and provide insight into its attacks.
* While generally lauded as a landmark event in tiger conservation, the creation of Chitwan National Park involved the forced displacement of dozens of indigenous Tharu families who had called the central forest home—a traumatic event that continues to haunt the Tharu communities that live today on the edge of Chitwan’s buffer zone. There has been some progress in terms of giving the Tharu access to the central forest for the traditional gathering of food, fodder, and building materials, although it is highly restricted, and continues to be a source of friction between the Tharu community and park officials.
* It’s worth noting that the village of Pali still exists, although it appears on maps as Pati Town. It has grown considerably since the days of Jim Corbett, with its concrete teahouses and food stalls making it a frequent rest stop for truckers. The original houses of the village can be found, however, just a short drive off of the main Almora road. Unlike the low-impact, temporary mud and thatch houses that the Tharu built in the terai, the Pahari people of the Kumaoni hills used loose stone to construct small huts or larger cottages, with roofs covered in irregular slate tiles. Many of these houses still stand today.
* The death of Christopher William was the low point in a traumatic period for the Corbetts. A massive landslide in Nainital the year before had also killed many of the family’s friends and neighbors, and prompted the Corbetts to relocate their lodgings to Gurney House, a cottage on the other side of town. The death of Christopher William marked the beginning of a sort of genteel poverty for the clan, with money being tight for years to come. The family was able to make ends meet, thanks to Mary Jane’s real estate work and some additional postal income from Jim’s older brother Tom, but the Corbetts’ economic and social position was severely affected by their father’s untimely demise. Jim’s childhood, though generally normal and happy by his own account, would be forever marked by the tragedy, and by the economic hardships that ensued.
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