The Cub Slayer King - Munna

 Munna

Pic - Santosh Saligram

Silence Before The Storm

The winter mist was just settling over the grass one late December morning, when two little tiger cubs emerged from the bushes. Not far behind was their mother, T-59 Kopedabri female. The cubs, mere five months old, rolled and chased each other on the lush green grass in playful delight. The mellow sun rays danced over their golden striped fur. Kopedabri settled on the brink of the thicket, her watchful eyes never wavering off her tiny tots. It's been two days since her last meal. Feeding the ever demanding naughty lot is a little too much for a tiger mother. Though, nothing new to her. Stretching her forepaws she took a long yawn. That heavy and drowsy head, she let it rest on her paws. Her ears twitched, while her tired eyes took a nap. At interval, she would scan the ground her cubs played and then back would she go into a frail slumber. Relaxed yet vigilant all the while. The cubs knew it would be a while till their mother's call would command them to abandon play and follow lead. Until then, they have the green grass and jumping quirky insects to play with. 

The sweet aroma of saal filled her nostrils, prolonging her slumber. She has been ruling this part of Kisli for a few years now. Besides a few skirmish with rival tigresses, she has had a peaceful life here. Prey is abundant and the low hills with numerous crevices provide peerless shelter for raising her young. Her present litter of two cubs till now have successfully evaded the preying eyes of tigers and leopards alike. Puffed like fur balls, one could never imagine they will turn into a fierce hunting machine someday, armed with lethal claws and fangs. Yet, many of these cubs never make it to that destiny. This, their mother was very well cognizant of. Rising to her feet, she decided to move on. Her muscles staunch, ripples of quiver running over her skin to ward off insects and eyes glowing gold as she draws breath to call her cubs. Before air could escape her whiskered lips, a booming honk from a sambar stag shattered the morning's quietude.    

He Is Here

Pic. Mihir Mahajan

All senses on guard, Kopedabri turns to face the direction the alarm call came from. The echo of the call has not faded into the valley when a huge male tiger makes his appearance at the turn. His mane saggy with age is deceptive of his valiant reign over the landscape of Kanha. Many mighty tigers have fallen victim to his canines that have worn off over time. Saliva dripping from his massive mouth imputes a demonic mien. Paws the size of a dinner plate eternally marks the dust he walks on. His head sways gently and shoulders dance with royal grace while he marches towards the tiger family with unhurried steps. The marking on his head "CAT" seems to represent the glory of his feline ancestry. The jungle has plunged into a fluster of silence as if bowing to the unannounced appearance of  the king. He is the one true emperor of the forests of Kanha, T-17... Munna. 

His prime years have long gone by. At 15 he is just a shade of his paramount guise, yet be not fooled. His claws and fangs have still enough strength left in them to slay a few more tigers at prime before they bid farewell to this mortal world. Kopedabri is well aware of this, and she would have preferred to retreat than confronting this hulk. For that thought its already too late. She could beat Munna in a chase but her cubs will not.

Kopedabri snarls and hisses with unwavering courage at the intruder. For any other tiger the aggression would have been enough but not Munna. Kopedabri's body quivers with anger and fear, muscles tightened to the core, ready to spring on the slightest provocation. For a moment she lost the whereabouts of her cubs. The two little fur balls have frozen with fear at the sight of this behemoth striding their way. Last few days have not been pleasurable for Munna. He had receded into the buffer following a swedge with a younger male. The instinct of survival always overrules the attribute of pride. Munna has survived this long in the wilderness of Kanha on this accord. When his strength reinforced his belligerence, he fought and brought down his foes. But when he knew the battle was not worth a limb, he simply faded away from the grand stage into the buffer to feed on some disbanded bovines. On this occasion though the resilient village folks kept him at bay and Munna had been without food for almost a week now. Denial of a easy prey fueled by hunger instigated his infuriation. Anything that moved would provoke a charge. Unfortunately, this happy tiger family had been in the path of Aries' war march. Devastation was inevitable. 

  

The Cub Killer

Head to the ground, snarls and roars from Kopedabri echoed through the woods. Not enough to deter the behemoth. The two cubs stood like logs, fear had debarred their instinct to run. Kopedabri lost account of their whereabouts for a moment too late. Munna charged, snatching one of the them. The massive paw struck the small back of the little one, cracking the spine in half. Fangs sank deep into the neck and life ebbed out of the future king. Mercifully, the torment of painful death was fended off. Kopedabri retaliated, gleaming canines ready to draw blood... Munna stood tall, snarling back with fiendish look in his eyes. Sharp claws ripped through the right flank of Munna when he reared up to meet the tigress' attack. He roared back slashing at her face. Kopedabri kept low, trying to attack his soft belly. But, Munna's huge frame pinned her to the ground every time she would try to make a move. The two tigers engaged in periodic bursts of brawl for quite some time. 

The mother, no matter how ever ferocious, was no match to the hundred battle molded tiger. Perpetuating the battle could cost her the last cub as well. She retreated to the bushes, where taking time during the course of events the other cub had scuttled into. She positioned herself between Munna and the cub scrupulously. Her blazing orange skin shivered with rage, fear and of course pain. Munna unruffled, lay down beside dead the cub licking his wounds. For a brief moments his gaze fell on the lifeless cub. God knows on what primeval instinct, he put his tongue to the furry skin and licked it hard. Fresh round of growls emanated from the mother directed at Munna's action. But she dared not to move. Was it show of dominance, uncurbed hunger or something beyond human perception- only known to the tiger, he started to nibble at the rump. Cannibalism is not an unacknowledged phenomenon in the big cat's society but a graceful tiger like Munna was thought to be more decorous for such an act. At the same time we must not curb away from the fact that nature has its own way of survival ordinance. 

Munna with the cub carcass (PC - Dr. Sanjay Shukla-IFS)

Snatching the dead cub by its small back, Munna took the carcass to a bamboo thicket nearby. Leisurely, he took chunks of meat from the rear end of the cub. He severed the hind limbs, devouring them as delicacies. At intervals Kopedabri would make a charge just to halt a few paces prior. The sight of her own cub being eaten was devastating but there was no way she could do anything about it. The winter night's cold could not dissuade the tigers to abandon ground. The next morning Forest officials found them at the site of incidence, a few yards away still in a combative stance. Somehow, Kopedabri had managed to keep her last cub safe from Munna's onslaught. It took a great deal of striving for Munna to abandon kill. The cub's carcass (whatever was left) was recovered by the forest officials and disposed in accordance to NTCA protocol. 

EPILOGUE

The Legend of Munna thrives in the soul of Kanha. While stories of his valor are exorbitantly promulgated, very few truly acknowledge the significance of the untrodden paths of a tiger's life his being brought forth. He lived, he ruled, he popularized Kanha, which no other tiger had done or might be ever able to do. Munna in a sense is Kanha. He is my mentor. Never met him in the wild, never saw him in person - yet he guided me into the sui generis world of tigers. Studying his life brings me one step closer to my wild soul which has been lost to the counterfeit urban life. I understand my place in the natural world not as a prime species but a mere pawn in this mega game of natural world. I am humbled. My heart still reaches out to this tiger - who once ruled the wilderness of Kanha like the one true king.

My friend, my mentor.... Munna.  

Pic. Mihir Mahajan

DISCLAIMER

This article is based on the turn of events that occurred in Kisli zone of Kanha Tiger Reserve on 27th December, 2017.  It was vividly narrated by Dr. Sanjay Shukla (IFS and the Field Director of Kanha in 2017) and Mr. Vijayaranjan Muthu. Some pictures provided in the article belong to Mr. Santosh Saligram, Mr. Mihir Mahajan and Dr. Sanjay Shukla (taken from social media). I don not lay claim over those pictures. Some of the pictures are A.I. generated to provide a pictorial narrative (Gemini AI). This article is for understanding tigers and generating awareness for Tiger Conservation purpose solely. A word of appreciation for co-operation from the data and picture providers is heartily forwarded.