I have spent many evenings sitting up on trees along prominent game trails, silently watching unsuspecting animals walk right past the tree without ever noticing me. It was 4:30 pm that day as I took my place on a large Koli tree, and the plan was to be there till around 6:30 pm, before walking back to my room before it was dark.
The first to arrive was a herd of spotted deer and they didn’t even pause as they went past the tree towards the waterhole to quench their thirst. Soon, the herd was followed by a large male Gaur, who came to the tree and paused for a second, then raised his head sniffing the air. Gaur is blessed with extraordinary sense of smell, and after sniffing the air for a few seconds decided that it was safe to continue on, and he ambled along the game trail, again towards the waterhole. The time was around 6:00 pm, and that is when I heard a branch break from a distance, by the sound of it, it was a large branch, and there was only one animal which would do that – the Elephant. Again, Elephants have one of the strongest nose in the jungle and I knew that since the wind was moving from me towards him, he’d soon detect my presence and move away. Little did I know that this was no ordinary Elephant that was out there feeding!
When I saw the large grey form appear at the far end of the game trail, I could see that he was a massive beast and it was clear by the size that it was a male – a Tusker. There only a handful of such large bulls in this area and I was waiting for him to come out into the open so that I could see which this Tusker was. It felt as though the animal knew I was waiting for him to come out, for he did not move an inch, he stood there like a statue, ears still, tail not wagging – he just stood there and all I could see was his motionless flank as he stood with his head still inside the bush where he was feeding.
What happened next amazed me and unnerved me! After standing like that for a good few minutes, the Elephant, with a swishing sound turned and came straight towards the tree on which I was sitting! He was not walking slowly as elephants usually do, but he was running as he came arrowing towards the tree! I knew that there was no way he could have seen me, because I was completely silent and sitting motionless. I had my phone camera on, unfortunately not on Video mode, but I still managed to click some pictures which you’ll see below.
By this time the beast was just a few meters away from the tree and since I was not expecting an Elephant to charge at the tree, I was just about 15 feet from the ground, a height an Elephant could easily reach with its extended trunk! He came, stood right under the tree and he started sniffing the air trying to zero-in on the scent that had disturbed him so much. That is when I could clearly see him, I noticed the shredded right ear and the I noticed the absence of his tail! And then I realized which this Elephant was – it was none other than the most feared animal in this area – the “Zero-Tail”. He had multiple run-ins with bigger bulls, and in the process got his ear torn off and tail yanked out – hence his name “Zero-tail”! What is worse, he is known to sniff out humans, wait for them to come close before charging.
The Elephant took a few seconds to figure out what was on the tree and then he lowered his trunk and raised his massive head and looked straight at me! He knew I was there and within reach. Making eye contact with a wild elephant at such close quarters is terrifying and it makes it a lot worse when you know that it is none other than “Zero-tail” himself! I remember dropping the phone and climbing up a few branches and that is when I felt the massive Koli tree shake! I clung on to a large branch and looked down and I saw him taking a few steps back to take a good look at where I was, and sensing that I was beyond reach, in a calculated manner he came forward, ever so gently placed his massive forehead on the trunk of the tree and started shaking the tree. I could see his legs straining, as he used all his might and pushed against the tree, with the leaves from the tree raining down on him! But just like the elephant, this was no ordinary tree – it was a Koli tree, one of the largest and the strongest trees in the Western Ghats.
I knew that the Elephant won’t be able to push the tree down and all I had to do was to hold on to the branch I was clinging on to. Realizing that the tree won’t budge, the Elephant gave a thundering roar that reverberated across the jungle and he slowly took a few steps back, turned towards the game trail and started walking away from the tree. He gave me one final look before walking away the way he had come with his head held high, glancing over his shoulder after each step.
I was not prepared to spend the night on the tree, I knew it’d rain that night and I was not dressed for the rain and to make matters worse, I had a good 500 meters to walk back to the room and I didn’t even have a torch with me! I sat there on the tree for another 15 minutes, and from my vantage point I scanned the area to make sure that the Elephant was nowhere in sight. I was about to climb down and that is when I saw what I thought was a rock in between the Lantana bushes close to the trail around 30 meters away from the tree. I was sure it was not there before, or was it? It was almost twilight and that is when eyes start to play tricks. I kept looking at the motionless rock and at that exact moment, I saw a Myna bird coming and sitting on that very same rock. The rock, which was completely still till then shook ever so slightly, just enough to shoo the bird away! That is when I realized that it was not a rock, it was Zero-tail and he was waiting for me!
I knew that Zero-tail was waiting for me right next to the path that I’d have to take to reach my cottage and I was hoping that if he did decide to charge, I’d still be able to out-manoeuvre him by running through the lesser trails that joined this main game trail. I didn’t want to take any of the smaller trails because these trails were very narrow, perhaps 1 foot wide and the visibility would be next to zero which would mean that I wouldn’t be able to see what else would be hiding next to those smaller trails. So, after considering all the options, I decided that the best bet was to brave it and take the larger trail even though I knew Zero-tail would be waiting for me right by this large game trail.
The time was around 6:15 pm and in 30 minutes, darkness would set in and I didn’t want to be out on foot once it was dark. I went through the small backpack I had with me and I realized that I was woefully under equipped to spend the night on the tree. I had a basic fire-starting kit, a whistle, a trail camera, my trusted knife and my fold-able walking stick in the pack, and none of these would give me the protection I’d need from the cold if I decided to spend the night on the tree. The next thing to do was to lighten the load so that if I did get chased by the elephant, which I knew would happen, I wouldn’t have to carry additional weight on me. The reason why I had a trail camera in my bag was that, during my walks into the wild, if I stumbled upon something interesting such as a kill, I’d have the trail camera ready and I’d set the it up overlooking the kill. There was no kill this time, and to lighten the load, I set the camera up on a large branch 15 feet from the ground facing the game trail. I took one last glance at Zero-tail and I could still see the top half of him, he was still there standing motionless ready to make his move at the most opportune moment.
What unnerves me the most is not what I see, but what I don’t. Zero-tail was not the only animal that could do serious harm, there were other animals out there and I had to make sure that I didn’t ignore what was going on around me by just focusing on Zero-tail. I climbed down the Koli tree and I knew that whatever sense of safety I had whilst on the tree was gone now! I was expecting a charge to happen any time soon and I was on my toes ready to bolt in the opposite direction if he came after me. If he did charge, the idea was to run through narrow game trails and under low hanging branches, and even though it wouldn’t stop the elephant, it would slow him down, giving me enough time to make a hasty escape. I knew from my past experience that Zero-tail is not just blessed with immense size and strength, he is also known for his patience and perseverance. I also knew for a fact that it was just a matter of time before he came after me tearing through those bushes with a murderous look in his tiny, beady eyes!
I was at the foot of the Koli tree, the trail was a good 6 feet wide and went straight like an arrow. I’d have to cover a good 100 feet and then take a side trail to the left which lead to the old abandoned house. My first task was to reach the abandoned house which would be my safety zone. I have taken this trail countless times and I knew it like the back of my hand and I knew also which were the blind corners where I had to be extra careful. Armed with this knowledge, I took the first few steps from the Koli tree and I could see ahead clearly, a good 100 feet or so and now that I was at ground level, thanks to the large lantana bushes on both sides of the trail, I couldn’t see Zero-tail anymore! I knew that he was on the right-hand side of the trail 40 or so feet ahead of me. If I could go past him and if he then charged, I’d run forward blindly and then take a smaller trail, but if he came at me before I went past him, I’d turn around and bolt towards the tree and find another smaller trail to run into. At least, that was the plan.
After the initial few strides, I started taking measured, careful steps, pausing for a few seconds after every 4 or 5 steps to listen for any sort of movement. Since we didn’t have much rains yet, I knew that if there was any movement, I’d hear twigs break which’d give away the presence of animals. Listening intently, I kept moving forward, and soon, I reached where I thought Zero-tail was waiting for me! Lantana bushes give great cover, and elephants, when required are masters when it comes to hiding. I, ever so silently bent down and looked under the bushes to see if he was still standing there, and there he was, standing like a statue, his ears still, trunk not moving – he was like a grey ghost standing in between the lantana bushes facing the trail. He knew that I’d come along that trail and when I was in range, he’d charge and charge quick.
When the elephant is irritated and wants to shoo away the intruder, you are very likely to hear a thunderous trumpet that would freeze the blood of the bravest of men – especially at such close quarters. But if the elephant is bent on getting rid of the nuisance, the charge is usually a silent one. All you’d hear are the bushes getting trampled as the beast charges towards you at full speed. By the way he was behaving, it was clear that he wouldn’t trumpet, and he’d come straight at me – at least, that was his plan.
If I continued walking, I knew that he’d wait for me to cross him and he’d charge from behind. I looked ahead and noticed that there weren’t any smaller trails for at least 50 feet that I could run into. He was just 10 feet away from the trail and since it was a wide trail and there weren’t any small trails ahead of me, if he came after me on a straight trail, he’d catch me in no time. It was important to think this through, and after considering all the options, I decided that I wouldn’t make the next move as the Elephant would have expected, instead if there was anything I could do to make him move first, then I’d know what his intentions were. He was not expecting me to go close to him and challenge him, he was expecting me to walk past him and then play it into his hands. But what if.. what if I could in turn spook him and unnerve him so that he’d turn and go deeper into the bushes, giving me those precious few seconds to run to the abandoned house? I decided to try that out!
Most of the elephants, if not all, have a healthy fear of humans, and they’d try and avoid human contact at all costs. And most of the times, if they sense your presence or if you clap your hands or shout out loud, elephants would turn and move away from you especially since they are least interested in getting into a conflict with a human. But as mentioned, this was no ordinary elephant and he very well knew I was coming towards him following the game, and he was ready to take me on! So I decided to put the plan in action, and that was to make him make the first move. I inched forward and I could still see him standing like a statue and then I shouted at him “Od Aane..” which translates to “Run Elephant…”. I was expecting that this unorthodox move would spook him and he’d turn tail and bolt into the jungle. Turn he did! But unlike any other elephant which would have turned and ran into the bushes, he turned towards me and gave me a look before coming straight at me! I could hear the bushes crack under his massive weight as he gained speed chasing after me! I turned tail and ran, and I was expecting to see the elephant bearing down on me catching up fast! I ran for a good 20 feet and that is when I felt the silence behind me! I was expecting to hear him coming crashing through the bushes, with the thudding sound his massive feet would make when he is chasing after you, but instead of all that, there was complete silence! This was most unusual, I slowed down and glanced back to see how far back he was, and then I realized that he had stopped chasing me! This was very unlike Zero-tail, he is not known to charge and then give up the charge, but for some inexplicable reason, he had stopped charging and worse still, he was not moving and so I didn’t know where he was anymore! I stopped running, turned and walked towards where I left him and I didn’t have to look far to find him again. He was facing the other way, with his trunk in the air busy sniffing the air! I stood there confused! This elephant had spent a good hour playing hide and seek with me and when he had the chance to finally get me, he started the charge with real earnest and then all of a sudden decided to stop the chase, turn around and stand there facing away from me! I could see the back of this huge elephant and it was clear that he was as confused as me! I decided to press home the advantage and shouted again, half expecting him to turn around and come after me again, but he didn’t! The sound scared him and he ran straight into the thicket away from me, leaving me perplexed and pleased! After all, I had scared away the notorious Zero-tail, which is almost unheard of!
By this time, I was buzzing with adrenaline and I was ready to take on the world! Though my brain told me to relax and that I was not out of the woods yet, I felt like the Alpha beast, for I chased away the biggest bull in that area! I swiftly covered the remaining 50 meters and I could hear Zero-tail moving deeper and deeper through the bushes and it was clear that he didn’t want to be there anywhere nearby!
I reached my cottage in a quick 10 minutes, and narrated the story to Anju and Manu, with Anju telling me how risky what I was doing was! I listened to her wise words; I could almost predict what she would say next… “If you have to go for these walks, please don’t go alone, take someone with you.. go in the afternoon when it is safer.. or why go in the first place?” All smart and sensible advice, I agreed, and as she continued to educate me on the do’s and the don’ts, my mind was still trying to put everything into perspective, there was still something that just didn’t feel right. Had it been any other elephant, I’d have expected this outcome. You raise your voice or clap your hands, the elephant will turn around and bolt, but not Zero tail. Why did he start charging towards me then suddenly stop, look confused or scared and then turn tail and run off? That was definitely not how Zero-tail would have reacted, certainly not because of a human! But that is what he did, that too, right in front of my eyes! Did I really manage to spook him? Did a puny human being really manage to spook the legendary Zero-tail into scurrying away like an ordinary elephant? There was something amiss and I decided to go to the scene of the event the next day to make some sense out of what had just happened.
I got up early and I was ready to go to the Koli tree to analyse what happened yesterday, but I also wanted to make sure that the sun was up and there weren’t any elephants in the near vicinity before I went there. I remember walking gingerly along the sun-baked earth which made reading the ground for tracks next to impossible, and after spending a good 30 minutes surveying that area, I couldn’t find anything that would explain why Zero-tail had behaved that way. That is when I remembered about the trail camera I had set up on the Koli tree, did the camera capture any secrets which would answer why the Elephant behaved in that fashion?
I was up on the tree in no time and I removed the camera which was tied to the branch. The camera had a 2-inch display screen and I went through one video after the other. The first video started off by showing me climbing down the tree yesterday and walking on the game trail. I soon disappeared from the trail camera’s range and I continued looking at what else the camera had captured. I sat there on the large branch looking at the rest of the videos and that is when I realized that I had some help, a bit of divine intervention yesterday that could have very well saved my life.
The elephant was not spooked because of me shouting at him, what had unnerved him was what was coming right behind me and she is another legendary beast!
