A curious story from Bandipur

Veerappan, notorious poacher and sandalwood smuggler, had his own mythology about gods, humans and animals

The elusive Bandipur tiger that reportedly killed two men was caught on Sunday with the help of five elephants and a huge search team.

Metrolife brings you a flashback account from Krupakar and Senani, makers of widely acclaimed films on wildlife in Bandipur. In 1997, they were kidnapped by the notorious bandit Veerappan, who held them hostage for 14 days.

In a series of articles they wrote for Sudha, the Kannada weekly published by the Deccan Herald group, they recounted their experiences in the forest, and recalled a curious story Veerappan once told them: ‘The gods once lived on earth like earthlings. All creatures lived in harmony and enjoyed nature’s bounty. Until humans appeared on earth.

The gods decided to go away to another world. Humans, they were convinced, were a dangerous lot.

A herd of elephants came by. The gods let them in on their fears. ‘Why don’t you come along? We will go to another world and live happily,’ the gods said.

The elephants refused, saying, ‘Why should we be scared of a tiny creature like the human? Besides, who would want to leave this beautiful earth, with its skies, forests, flowers, rivers?’

The gods were angry. ‘You are fated to destroy yourselves,’ they said, and went away to heaven.

Veerappan ended his story with a click of his tongue: ‘Look what has become of the elephants now. Poor things, they labour in circuses, with nothing to eat, and no forests to roam in.’"

The wildlife photographers were intrigued. How could a cruel man who had killed hundreds of animals tell such a story, they wondered. They wrote: ‘It is impossible to grasp another human’s inner world. But it is true we can find a gleaming firefly even in the darkest forest.’