The Green Ogre

The Green Ogre!!!

“TIGER, tiger, burning bright |   |

In the forests of the night, |   |

What immortal hand or eye |   |

Could frame thy fearful symmetry?” | |

I have wandered only a handful of forests. Most wildlife enthusiasts might have travelled more in one year than I have in the last five years. So I never complain about not having seen most of the mammals including the nation’s heart throb………the tiger!

But I have always worried about not having met with his Highness the Leopard…….the jungles I have roamed have plenty of leopards and have come across ample evidence that point towards their activity. In some cases I have missed the beast by a hair’s breadth; scores of pug marks plenty of scat ……….but no leopard

While I think of the tiger as a samurai, bold always in the limelight and powerful- I equate the leopard to a ninja…….silent, cunning, unseen and deadly……

A few weeks ago I was on a safari in Mudumalai which was in fact the first safari of the trip along with some likeminded friends. Around 4.45pm while we were at the tourist zone of the park looking at chital and the gaur, and talking in hushed tones the watcher, who accompanied us suddenly alerted us to the other side of the vehicle exclaiming “Leopard!! leopard!!”

At the sound of the word the adrenalin rush I felt must have clocked 240 kilometers per hour!!! I frantically scanned the area that we were alerted towards and was afraid that the cat would slip away into the dense undergrowth. Despite the dense clump of bushes I spotted the rosettes….the driver now inching the vehicle towards the animal……….there it was!!!!!!! A magnificent animal basking in the evening sun!!!

The scene was magical…the yellowish leopard dozing in the orange sun glow only a few yards away. Unbelievable!!! Unexpected!!!Lazing non-challantly it lifted its head aiming a penetrating stare straight at us……or should I say through us.

“And what shoulder and what art |

Could twist the sinews of thy heart? |...