The silent watcher above, who has been observing his every movement, notices the action and knows that the man, with his head bent forward and downward, cannot possibly see it now. Then the creature crouches lower before committing the first of a series of murders that will give it the name of the ‘Evil One’… A moment later the deed is done. Kothanda Reddy never saw the massive form that hurled through the air and down upon him.
(Excerpts from Kenneth Anderson’s The Call of the Man-Eater—The Evil One of Umbalmeru)
Kenneth Anderson is to south India what Jim Corbett is to north India. A hunter extraordinaire, his experiences in the jungle and love for nature come alive in the many books that he wrote, captivating nature and wildlife enthusiasts and adventure fans alike. Greater appreciation, though, is reserved for his contribution to wildlife conservation. And upholding his ideals and as a tribute to this great hunter-turned-conservationist, was set up the Kenneth Anderson Nature Society (KANS).
The society, which was established in 2008, has a total of 160 members today. According to its president Sanjeev Kumar SR, there existed earlier a Yahoo! group dedicated to Kenneth Anderson and soon the group members, driven by their shared interest in nature and most of who were from Bangalore (Bangalore being the closest to where Anderson’s hunting exploits took place, namely Hosur Forest), decided to get together and do something worthwhile. They later met the DFO and collector and out of that whole experience was born KANS.
The primary aim of KANS is conservation. Says Sanjeev: “Our aim is to conserve Melagiri, a stretch of forest that comes under the Hosur Forest Division in Krishnagiri district. Typified as dry evergreen to scrub jungle, the 1,400-sq km Melagiri is today a reserve forest, and the place where the river Cauvery enters Tamil Nadu.” The Forest Department also pitches in to help KANS in its conservation activities and KANS in turn conducts many anti-poaching camps for the forest staff.
Anybody who is above 18 years of age and interested in nature can become a member, there’s a regular annual fee of Rs 100. Mostly amateurs, the members all hold 9 to 5 jobs and meet on weekends, or during holidays, sometimes in Hosur or Bangalore. Says Sanjeev: “We have a management committee, elected every two years that monitors the activities of KANS, which includes planning, raising funds, spending money, etc.” Secretary Kakarla Jayaraman at 70 is the society’s oldest member. He does not engage in hardcore treks inside the forest, but is busy taking care of the coordination, meetings and other related tasks. Of course, he had earlier visited most of the places where Anderson shot and killed the feared man-eaters. Says he: “There are some 26 stories (of Anderson) in the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary itself,” adding, “The Assassin of Diguvametta and The Black Panther of Sivanipalli are favourites.”
Honorary member and son of the esteemed hunter, Donald Anderson thinks that his father’s legacy is safe in the hands of KANS. “It is good for the old man’s name with his stories creating interest about wildlife in people. KANS is doing a good job indeed.”A hunter himself, Donald walked beside his father countless times trekking in the forest, with the latter inculcating in him a deep love for the jungle and sharing with him jungle lore and the like. “Back then, they used to hunt for a purpose, it was legal, a licence was necessary, one had to distinguish between man-eaters, man-killers and cattle lifters”, says he of his father’s hunter-turned-conservationist credentials.
Most of KANS’ members have visited the places made famous by Anderson in his blood-curdling tales, though a lot has changed. Reveals Sanjeev, “So much has changed since Anderson hunted here, with the forests being exploited for bamboo and grazing and no teeming wildlife that it is hard to believe it is the same place.”
Conservation activities of the society are many. Recalls Sanjeev, “Very early on, we partnered Asian Nature Conservation Foundation and did a bio-diversity survey of Melagiri. One good thing that came out was the discovery of the Grizzled Giant Squirrel. With just 600 left, it makes for a rare find.”
Naturally, for Sanjeev and other members, the best thing about setting up KANS was that it gave them a viable platform to go about doing what they all loved—preserve nature and wildlife.