What do you think?
Rate this book
Man-Eaters and Jungle Killers
BOOKS
178 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1957
73 people are currently reading
164 people want to read
About the author
Kenneth Anderson
190 books73 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Kenneth Anderson (1910 – 1974) was an Indian writer and hunter who wrote many books about his adventures in the jungles of South India.
Kenneth Anderson (1910 – 1974) was an Indian writer and hunter who wrote many books about his adventures in the jungles of South India.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
May 7, 2021
This is another collection of shikar writings from Anderson. The book consists..
1. The Marauder of Kempekarai
2. Alam Bux and the Big Black Bear
3. The Mamandur Man-eater
4. The Crossed-Tusker of Gerhetti
5. The Sangam Panther
6. The Ramapuram Tiger
7. The Great Panther of Midiyanoor
8. The Mauler of Rajnagara
All are stories of tracking, sitting for and shooting ferocious tigers/panthers except for the second and fourth one which detail the tracking of a rather ferocious bear and an elephant respectively.
In the last story of 1995, Anderson never bags the mauler and goes on to say - 'Although this is a story of an unsuccessful hunt, indeed one of complete failure - I have told it so that the reader may realise that such adventures are not always crowned with success. Failure and disappointment are far more frequent. But the hard work, strenuous effort, the very thrill of the chase, the pitting of human brains against animal instinct - all these factors are there, and to a considerable extent compensate the enthusiast for his failure.'
1. The Marauder of Kempekarai
2. Alam Bux and the Big Black Bear
3. The Mamandur Man-eater
4. The Crossed-Tusker of Gerhetti
5. The Sangam Panther
6. The Ramapuram Tiger
7. The Great Panther of Midiyanoor
8. The Mauler of Rajnagara
All are stories of tracking, sitting for and shooting ferocious tigers/panthers except for the second and fourth one which detail the tracking of a rather ferocious bear and an elephant respectively.
In the last story of 1995, Anderson never bags the mauler and goes on to say - 'Although this is a story of an unsuccessful hunt, indeed one of complete failure - I have told it so that the reader may realise that such adventures are not always crowned with success. Failure and disappointment are far more frequent. But the hard work, strenuous effort, the very thrill of the chase, the pitting of human brains against animal instinct - all these factors are there, and to a considerable extent compensate the enthusiast for his failure.'
November 22, 2017
This is a decent book which talks about the tales of Kenneth Anderson while hunting tigers/leopards/elephants. Having read Jim Corbett before reading this book, I find this book a little lacking in the finer details of the experiences which a hunter has to go through before he hunts the tiger/leopards. Maybe this is because of the place where both the hunters hunted - Jim corbett in Uttrakhand place knows for its high mountains and tough terrain whereas Kenneth Anderson hunts in South India whose mountains are very old compared to the Himalayas and thus lacking in the kind of tough terrain that is there in Uttrakhand.
While reading Jim Corbett, i was so involved with the story that i felt like i was with him the entire time while he was hunting the man eaters. It was very engaging (Maybe it is the way he writes the stories). Everytime he felt something is watching him while going through the jungle, i felt the same anxiety not knowing what will come out of the bushes.
I had this excitement missing from Kenneth Anderson stories. Maybe it was too easy for him to hunt the man eaters because of the terrain (Not implying that it is easy to hunt a man-eater but compared to what Jim Corebett faced, i believe Kenneth Anderson had it a little easier).
I was confused what rating to give this (3 star or 4 star) but then i thought about my friend Akash, how much he loves to read Kenneth Anderson and he has told me so much about this, so i went with 4 stars.
While reading Jim Corbett, i was so involved with the story that i felt like i was with him the entire time while he was hunting the man eaters. It was very engaging (Maybe it is the way he writes the stories). Everytime he felt something is watching him while going through the jungle, i felt the same anxiety not knowing what will come out of the bushes.
I had this excitement missing from Kenneth Anderson stories. Maybe it was too easy for him to hunt the man eaters because of the terrain (Not implying that it is easy to hunt a man-eater but compared to what Jim Corebett faced, i believe Kenneth Anderson had it a little easier).
I was confused what rating to give this (3 star or 4 star) but then i thought about my friend Akash, how much he loves to read Kenneth Anderson and he has told me so much about this, so i went with 4 stars.
September 14, 2014
Another book detailing the tales of Anderson's adventures in South Indian jungles.. enthralled me all the way.
September 10, 2015
As "Anderson" as ever . takes you as a companion through jungles on his shikar. Wish the forests in South India were fauna rich as they were in those days.
July 16, 2022
I hadn't heard of Kenneth Anderson until I came upon a large pile of his bsecond-handecond hand bookstore. Many of his titles included words like man-eaters, killers or rogues. I am vegetarian because I care for animals and yet I do quite enjoy a thrilling story of a hunt, and Jim Corbett is one of my favourite authors. It turns out Kenneth Anderson is the Corbett of South India.
Based out of Bangalore, Anderson was called in to help track and kill animals that had gone rogue - panthers, bears, elephants and tigers. And much like Corbett, Anderson writes in a way that communicates the real love he has for nwildlife wild life. Although their books are about the killing of animals, both Corbett and Anderson leave yofeeling a deep respect for the animals that they seek. Anderson and Corbett both write of beings'an being's actions have caused the crises that they were being pulled in to resolve.
What I found different about Anderson is how graphic Anderson can be about deaefinitely not uncomfortably graphic, but he writes of death matter of factly and without hiding behind the fine language. In one of his stories, he writes of how he shoots a rogue elephant multiple times - once in his throat, then in his side and another in his back, perhaps. The elephant runs into the dark vegetation, crashing through the bamboo, falling over and then getting up to rush away from his attacker. The next morning, Anderson has to follow this bloody trail to check if the elephant is down. It is not a pretty sight and Anderson tells us of how he must now climb through blood-soaked vegetation to a track down the pain-crazed pachyderm. You realise there is very little romance in a hunt. It is not just frightening, but also downright disgusting sometimes.
Ultimately, I found it difficult to put this slim book down. I liked that these were areas I had been to - Salem, Coimbatore, Sangam near Bangalore, these were all places I could easily imagine because they were around me. I like Corbett because he wrote of the Himalayas and I like Anderson because he wrote of places I could relate to. I also like Anderson for the greater variety of animals he writes about. I knew very little about sloth bears until I read this book. But most of all, writers like Anderson make a city girl like me feel closer to nature, especially when I am surrounded by people and traffic. It is a wonderful way to clock out for a while from the comfort of my worn out couch.
Based out of Bangalore, Anderson was called in to help track and kill animals that had gone rogue - panthers, bears, elephants and tigers. And much like Corbett, Anderson writes in a way that communicates the real love he has for nwildlife wild life. Although their books are about the killing of animals, both Corbett and Anderson leave yofeeling a deep respect for the animals that they seek. Anderson and Corbett both write of beings'an being's actions have caused the crises that they were being pulled in to resolve.
What I found different about Anderson is how graphic Anderson can be about deaefinitely not uncomfortably graphic, but he writes of death matter of factly and without hiding behind the fine language. In one of his stories, he writes of how he shoots a rogue elephant multiple times - once in his throat, then in his side and another in his back, perhaps. The elephant runs into the dark vegetation, crashing through the bamboo, falling over and then getting up to rush away from his attacker. The next morning, Anderson has to follow this bloody trail to check if the elephant is down. It is not a pretty sight and Anderson tells us of how he must now climb through blood-soaked vegetation to a track down the pain-crazed pachyderm. You realise there is very little romance in a hunt. It is not just frightening, but also downright disgusting sometimes.
Ultimately, I found it difficult to put this slim book down. I liked that these were areas I had been to - Salem, Coimbatore, Sangam near Bangalore, these were all places I could easily imagine because they were around me. I like Corbett because he wrote of the Himalayas and I like Anderson because he wrote of places I could relate to. I also like Anderson for the greater variety of animals he writes about. I knew very little about sloth bears until I read this book. But most of all, writers like Anderson make a city girl like me feel closer to nature, especially when I am surrounded by people and traffic. It is a wonderful way to clock out for a while from the comfort of my worn out couch.
April 11, 2021
It was engrossing read! I retired to bed early so I could read a couple of chapters before sleep!
I am a great fan of Jim Corbett and have read his Man eater of Kumaon several times and plan visiting Uttarakand. But Anderson born about 40 years after Corbett has done equally well going after many dangerous wild animals! His hunting grounds were in South India near Nilagiri Hills where I lived for 3years. Still from time to time, there are Man eaters in that area and often I was asked not to go out alone in the night! Anderson took more risks than Corbett who hunted standing on ground “to give the animal a sporting chance” but Anderson sat on kills or on low machans that caused him some injuries! An Indian of british birth he could speak Tamil and Kanada and he can write about places that have long tamil names with ease!
I would read this for sure! Perhaps all his works!!
I am a great fan of Jim Corbett and have read his Man eater of Kumaon several times and plan visiting Uttarakand. But Anderson born about 40 years after Corbett has done equally well going after many dangerous wild animals! His hunting grounds were in South India near Nilagiri Hills where I lived for 3years. Still from time to time, there are Man eaters in that area and often I was asked not to go out alone in the night! Anderson took more risks than Corbett who hunted standing on ground “to give the animal a sporting chance” but Anderson sat on kills or on low machans that caused him some injuries! An Indian of british birth he could speak Tamil and Kanada and he can write about places that have long tamil names with ease!
I would read this for sure! Perhaps all his works!!
April 5, 2021
CONTENTS
Man Eaters and Jungle Killers (1957, George Allen & Unwin)
'''Introduction'''
Anderson writes of the effect the progress of civilization and industrialization is having on the natural world. He writes these stories not only to give pleasure to the adventurous, but to provide a record of what the great forests of India were once like.
'''The Marauder of Kempekarai'''
Anderson puruses a man-eating tiger in the Kempekarai area, un-sure that the tiger will accept cattle baits, Anderson tries to lure the tiger by using the noisy pully on the well. Failing to procure a shot, the next day he sits in a tree hide, only to be spotted by the man-eater and gashed by the tiger's claws through the chairs. The next attempt was to construct a hide using a large wagon cart wheel buried in against some large boulders - creating a hide space inbetween for Anderson to sit up over a crude human dummy. The dummy first attracts the attention of a sloth bear, and then the man-eater. The man-eater attacks Anderson from above, but flees after gun fire. A storm then breaks and Anderson is left fighting to get out of his built in hide before the flood waters come in.
'''Alam Bux and the Big Black Bear'''
A disgruntled sloth bear starts mauling humans in the Nagvara Hills region - attacking in the typical bear fashion by clawing the face apart, leaving most victims to die of their wounds. When the son of Anderson's friend, Alam Bux is fatally attacked by the bear - Anderson comes to his aid. During the course of the next few weeks Anderson follows up on further bear attacks, during one of which he badly hurts his ankle leaving himself barely able to walk. Four days later Anderson returns to a field where the bear had been sighted, and sits out under a large fruit tree to try and get a final shot at the animal.
'''The Mamandur Man-Eater'''
The story of young, female Man-eating tiger, which Anderson suggests gained the habit from the man-eating tiger previously documented in 'The Striped Terror of Chamala Valley' ('Nine Maneaters And One Rogue'). Anderson arrives in the area and upon finding the latest human kill by a railway line, lies down on the tracks and awaits for the tiger to return. Whilst waiting patiently he notices the victims severed head begins to move -- eventually he discovers that a rhinoceros beetle is trying to roll away the head. His waiting is then interrupted by the arrival of a train, which stops to find the reason for him being on the tracks, and are shocked when Anderson explains his reason. After further attempts to lure the tigress with bait, Anderson by chance ends up luring the tiger by imitating a mating call.
'''The Crossed-Tusker of Gerhetti'''
A rogue elephant with distinctive overlapping tusks plagues the Gerhetti area, killing a number of people. Anderson arrives and his first days are wasted in tracking the wrong elephant, before he finally finds the distinctive crossed tusks he's looking for.
'''The Sangam Panther'''
A maneating panther in the Sangam area proves a tricky foe for Anderson as it will not accept animal baits. To solve the issue Anderson uses himself as bait, waiting for the panther in the centre of a cattle pen. After spending the night being eaten by cattle ticks the following night he waits dangerously exposed for the panther by lying on the top of a metal roof.
'''The Ramapuram Tiger'''
Following an injury from a Gin trap, a cattle lifter turns man-eating tiger in Ramapuram. On following the drag marks of one of the live baits taken in the night, Anderson comes across a tigress and small cubs and is surprised when she does not charge. Anderson finds another one of his baits has been killed, and when he approaches the kill to examine it he is surprised by the man-eater who is still by the bullock. The man-eater's charge is hindered by the bulk of the dead bullock before her, giving Anderson time to make his shot.
'''The Great Panther of Mudiyanoor'''
A friend of Anderson at the Moyar Valley Ranch is plagued by a local panther, and when it kills his Alsatian, he writes to Anderson for his help. Anderson's son Donald takes over the writing of the story as he heads to Mudiyanoor in his place, taking with him a photographer friend. Whilst on the trail of the panther the animal charges out at them, Anderson's friend luckily enough to get a photo of the panther in mid-charge (the photo is included in the 1957 publication), and lucky enough that Donald was a fast and good enough shot to stop the panther from coming any further.
'''The Mauler of Rajnagara '''
A tiger in the Rajnagara region develops a peculiar habit of mauling humans, never using it's teeth on it's prey - only it's claws to wound. 11 of it's 33 maul victims latter died from their wounds or from blood poisoning. Anderson arrives on the scene at the time of a fresh human kill, and in inadequate shoes starts to track the tiger through the jungle. Despite sitting up over the putrid human remains under the hot daytime sun - Anderson fails in his attempts to shoot the mauler. This story later continues in 'The Maneater of Pegepalyam' (The Black Panther of Sivanipalli and Other Adventures of the Indian Jungle) and concludes in 'From Mauler to Maneater' (The Call of the Man Eater)
Man Eaters and Jungle Killers (1957, George Allen & Unwin)
'''Introduction'''
Anderson writes of the effect the progress of civilization and industrialization is having on the natural world. He writes these stories not only to give pleasure to the adventurous, but to provide a record of what the great forests of India were once like.
'''The Marauder of Kempekarai'''
Anderson puruses a man-eating tiger in the Kempekarai area, un-sure that the tiger will accept cattle baits, Anderson tries to lure the tiger by using the noisy pully on the well. Failing to procure a shot, the next day he sits in a tree hide, only to be spotted by the man-eater and gashed by the tiger's claws through the chairs. The next attempt was to construct a hide using a large wagon cart wheel buried in against some large boulders - creating a hide space inbetween for Anderson to sit up over a crude human dummy. The dummy first attracts the attention of a sloth bear, and then the man-eater. The man-eater attacks Anderson from above, but flees after gun fire. A storm then breaks and Anderson is left fighting to get out of his built in hide before the flood waters come in.
'''Alam Bux and the Big Black Bear'''
A disgruntled sloth bear starts mauling humans in the Nagvara Hills region - attacking in the typical bear fashion by clawing the face apart, leaving most victims to die of their wounds. When the son of Anderson's friend, Alam Bux is fatally attacked by the bear - Anderson comes to his aid. During the course of the next few weeks Anderson follows up on further bear attacks, during one of which he badly hurts his ankle leaving himself barely able to walk. Four days later Anderson returns to a field where the bear had been sighted, and sits out under a large fruit tree to try and get a final shot at the animal.
'''The Mamandur Man-Eater'''
The story of young, female Man-eating tiger, which Anderson suggests gained the habit from the man-eating tiger previously documented in 'The Striped Terror of Chamala Valley' ('Nine Maneaters And One Rogue'). Anderson arrives in the area and upon finding the latest human kill by a railway line, lies down on the tracks and awaits for the tiger to return. Whilst waiting patiently he notices the victims severed head begins to move -- eventually he discovers that a rhinoceros beetle is trying to roll away the head. His waiting is then interrupted by the arrival of a train, which stops to find the reason for him being on the tracks, and are shocked when Anderson explains his reason. After further attempts to lure the tigress with bait, Anderson by chance ends up luring the tiger by imitating a mating call.
'''The Crossed-Tusker of Gerhetti'''
A rogue elephant with distinctive overlapping tusks plagues the Gerhetti area, killing a number of people. Anderson arrives and his first days are wasted in tracking the wrong elephant, before he finally finds the distinctive crossed tusks he's looking for.
'''The Sangam Panther'''
A maneating panther in the Sangam area proves a tricky foe for Anderson as it will not accept animal baits. To solve the issue Anderson uses himself as bait, waiting for the panther in the centre of a cattle pen. After spending the night being eaten by cattle ticks the following night he waits dangerously exposed for the panther by lying on the top of a metal roof.
'''The Ramapuram Tiger'''
Following an injury from a Gin trap, a cattle lifter turns man-eating tiger in Ramapuram. On following the drag marks of one of the live baits taken in the night, Anderson comes across a tigress and small cubs and is surprised when she does not charge. Anderson finds another one of his baits has been killed, and when he approaches the kill to examine it he is surprised by the man-eater who is still by the bullock. The man-eater's charge is hindered by the bulk of the dead bullock before her, giving Anderson time to make his shot.
'''The Great Panther of Mudiyanoor'''
A friend of Anderson at the Moyar Valley Ranch is plagued by a local panther, and when it kills his Alsatian, he writes to Anderson for his help. Anderson's son Donald takes over the writing of the story as he heads to Mudiyanoor in his place, taking with him a photographer friend. Whilst on the trail of the panther the animal charges out at them, Anderson's friend luckily enough to get a photo of the panther in mid-charge (the photo is included in the 1957 publication), and lucky enough that Donald was a fast and good enough shot to stop the panther from coming any further.
'''The Mauler of Rajnagara '''
A tiger in the Rajnagara region develops a peculiar habit of mauling humans, never using it's teeth on it's prey - only it's claws to wound. 11 of it's 33 maul victims latter died from their wounds or from blood poisoning. Anderson arrives on the scene at the time of a fresh human kill, and in inadequate shoes starts to track the tiger through the jungle. Despite sitting up over the putrid human remains under the hot daytime sun - Anderson fails in his attempts to shoot the mauler. This story later continues in 'The Maneater of Pegepalyam' (The Black Panther of Sivanipalli and Other Adventures of the Indian Jungle) and concludes in 'From Mauler to Maneater' (The Call of the Man Eater)
April 17, 2020
Get the feel of the jungle in the Kenneth way...
Even after reading this book multiple times, each time I read it, I feel iam transported to the jungle, along with the author, feeling the jungle and it's denizens as he had felt it... A treasure trove of marvelous reading...
Even after reading this book multiple times, each time I read it, I feel iam transported to the jungle, along with the author, feeling the jungle and it's denizens as he had felt it... A treasure trove of marvelous reading...
May 23, 2019
Mindblowingly gripping stories!!!!
June 16, 2021
Thriller
An interesting book having great stories. Really loved it 🤩. I strongly recommend it to you all must read and share with your friends and family.
An interesting book having great stories. Really loved it 🤩. I strongly recommend it to you all must read and share with your friends and family.
November 5, 2021
Very Good
Very good reading. No foul language and clean clear stories. Proving again that a good author does not need to resort to base levels in order to yell a good story.
Very good reading. No foul language and clean clear stories. Proving again that a good author does not need to resort to base levels in order to yell a good story.
July 30, 2016
This book has probably one of the most beautiful introductions I have ever read. Kenneth Anderson's words in the introduction go much beyond the rural confines of the forests around Bangalore which were his beat and express thoughts that still ring true, throughout the world. Sadly, however, for me this was the highest point of the book. I found his other works far more engrossing. Still, if you have recently visited the hills just south of Bangalore you would love to read how pristine they were half a century back.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews