ON TIGERS AT LOVEDALE

 

ON TIGERS AT LOVEDALE

Some months ago, I read an article in The Hindu about tigers being spotted near Ooty. A Professor was quoted in the article as claiming that there could be as many as 40 tigers in the wilds in the Upper Nilgiris.

This article brought back memories of my days in the Prep School at The Lawrence School, Lovedale. Probably towards the end of 1958, a family of tigers decided that the School could quite easily share their thickly forested, vast campus of 750 acres with them! The family comprised a tigress and her two cubs who were no longer babies! For months thereafter there were " sightings" of tigers and tigresses from time to time - leading to hundreds of schoolboy rumours which ranged from the plausible to the absurd.

The tigress was, more often than not, prowling the area near the reservoirs and Big Hill. The roars of the family could be heard clearly in the Prep School which was the closest part of the school from where the tigress had set up her HQ. The School authorities were naturally alarmed. Assistance was sought from the Madras Regimental Centre at Wellington. 

An article in The Lawrencian in October 1958 recounts, " she ( the tigress) was heard by the Vindhya housemaster at about 1.00 am. In his excitement he woke up the boys, and throwing  open the windows, let them hear her grow1 at intervals. This went on for half an hour.          The next night the shikaries went up with no luck, and this has gone on till today. Another cow has been killed, and on that very night the Colonel and party heard a noise in the bushes. Taking careful aim, he fired. Next morning as he went through the bushes, it was discovered that he had shot a monkey.

     Then on a Sunday afternoon the tigress was heard again, roaring its defiance to any intruders who might enter her ground. Within the next few days the tigress got hell, for it was wounded. Now she has become as bold as ever, for yesterday she stopped a bus on a main highway, walked across the road and then walked placidly into the jungle.

     That is the latest news up to date, All I can say is that I wish the hunter the best of luck."

  Naturally for days together the tigers held centre stage in our minds.As time went by, in our minds the tigers became bigger by the day. We boys spoke at length about the tigress and how she could be killed. Amongst the School Staff, many of us Preppers believed the tall, burly Medical Officer,Dr D Shaw was the popular choice to deal with the tigress. We were perhaps influenced by stories of his strength.  Being prone to exaggeration ourselves, we believed the legend that he hit a sixer in the Staff vs Students cricket match which soared all the way from Top Flats to Prep School, bouncing once on the Girls School roof. 

Different options to corner the tigress were advocated including luring her with poisoned meat. One boy remarked rather snidely that there was no need to take that much trouble. Our daily School "grub" (food) should do the trick! 

A boy in Kailas House- then solely for boys in the 5th Standard- was asked what he would do if the tiger chased him at 60 mph 

The boy nonchalantly replied that he would do 70! 

One morning in 1959, there was a palpable buzz of excitement all over Lovedale. The two tiger cubs had been killed but their mother -the tigress -was said to have vanished. We jostled with each other to see them from a distance in the back of an Army truck. The Staff , as can be seen from this photograph, went in far closer- now that the tiger cubs were dead! 

             Picture courtesy: OL Salim Thomas ARA 1963

You can see "KIT" Thomas, our Headmaster in the picture with his wife, Mrs Thomas. Others here are Ms Bhalla, Ms Hensman, Mrs Phillips,and Mrs Shaw. 

One of the boys, Christopher Neale wrote an article:  

" My dear Mother,

              I have some good news for you. There are three tigers in our school. Two have been killed, the other has been wounded and might become a man eater. I hope the boys will be safe.   (The writer of this letter, needless to say, is a girl)." 

Mr K I Thomas, the Headmaster, added a footnote: "Christopher  has a fertile imagination. There is much evidence of it in this article! "

When he spoke as the Chief Guest at Founder's many years later in 1982,  Mr K I Thomas recalled the "man eater" in his inimitable style. He said, " I am also reminded of Ann Tripp, a ten year old girl, the only child who ever interrupted a school assembly. 

On hearing me announce that a man eater had been sighted near the Girls' School she jumped to her feet and exclaimed joyfully, “Thank God, we are not men”.

I have often wondered whether there were more tigers on the prowl in Lovedale in later years. I am of course talking about the Panthera tigris- the wild animal of the four legged variety!