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Nine Man-Eaters & One Rogue
Rogue tigers have been killing and eating people in Sou theast Asia since the dawn of time. is the exciting story of one man's efforts to save lives in the jungles of India. the Author relates these true adventures and educates the reader in the complexities of the living jungle
264 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1968
110 people are currently reading
410 people want to read
About the author
Kenneth Anderson
189 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.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
April 6, 2021
Very good book describing factual hunts. My favorite was "The Hosdurga-Holalkere Man-Eater"
I prefer how Jim Corbett writes of hunts, but these are all incredibly exciting and thrilling tales involving true nightmare situations, in which one must face off against the teeth of nature and its apex predators.
I prefer how Jim Corbett writes of hunts, but these are all incredibly exciting and thrilling tales involving true nightmare situations, in which one must face off against the teeth of nature and its apex predators.
December 28, 2014
An osum book.
a must read.the way the author narrates the story is ,like you feel like you are there ,watching the whole incident.Experiencing the feelings.
a must read.the way the author narrates the story is ,like you feel like you are there ,watching the whole incident.Experiencing the feelings.
June 7, 2017
Adventurous journey of Kenneth Anderson in Indian jungles with panthers, tigers mostly and the wildlife. 11 stories help in understanding the jungles.
January 1, 2022
A collection of hunting tales, mostly dealing with Anderson's encounters with man-eating tigers but also including stories of his hunts for leopards, rogue elephants and bears. There's a palpable sense of danger to the stories, aided in part by Anderson's skill as a storyteller but mostly through how much of a knife edge he walked in facing these animals. Very few stories end with him securing a clean kill. One close encounter with a man-eater that ends with a snap reaction and frenzied close range fire into a previously unseen animal mid-pounce would be enough for me, but not for Anderson apparently.
Comparisons to Jim Corbett's writings, which I first read last year and which have quickly become a firm favourite, are inevitable. What you don't get from Anderson is the sense of place that Corbett so effortlessly evokes. He's simply a much more efficient writer, he cuts all the fat and sticks entirely to what you're here for - the hunts themselves. This makes for a book that moves at a hell of a pace, and one I thoroughly enjoyed, but one that doesn't linger in the way Corbett's work does. This will be very much a matter of taste I feel, but I'll take Corbett waxing lyrical over his love for the Indian jungle and its people over Anderson's more direct approach every time.
If there's one other minor criticism to make it's that in places Anderson can come across as quite callous towards the wildlife he hunts. Hunting big game is one thing, forcing spiders to fight each other for your amusement is another. It's not enough to sour me on the book, this isn't a Man-Eaters of Tsavo situation where the author is so detestable as to taint the entire work, but there's more than one moment that didn't sit right with me.
Still on the whole a really enjoyable read and a good start to the new year.
Comparisons to Jim Corbett's writings, which I first read last year and which have quickly become a firm favourite, are inevitable. What you don't get from Anderson is the sense of place that Corbett so effortlessly evokes. He's simply a much more efficient writer, he cuts all the fat and sticks entirely to what you're here for - the hunts themselves. This makes for a book that moves at a hell of a pace, and one I thoroughly enjoyed, but one that doesn't linger in the way Corbett's work does. This will be very much a matter of taste I feel, but I'll take Corbett waxing lyrical over his love for the Indian jungle and its people over Anderson's more direct approach every time.
If there's one other minor criticism to make it's that in places Anderson can come across as quite callous towards the wildlife he hunts. Hunting big game is one thing, forcing spiders to fight each other for your amusement is another. It's not enough to sour me on the book, this isn't a Man-Eaters of Tsavo situation where the author is so detestable as to taint the entire work, but there's more than one moment that didn't sit right with me.
Still on the whole a really enjoyable read and a good start to the new year.
February 13, 2021
CONTENTS:
Nine Maneaters And One Rogue (1954, George Allen & Unwin)
'''The Maneater of Jowlagiri'''
A tigress turns man-eater after being wounded by a poacher in the Jowlagiri area. After the death toll reaches around fifteen, Anderson is contacted to track it down. Anderson has an agonizing wait sat over a human kill, followed by a lucky escape when the man-eater starts to stalk him. The man-eater is not heard of again for another 5 months, when a fresh human kill is reported Anderson heads back to Jowlagiri where he manages to lure the tigress to her death by imitating a tiger's mating call.
'''The Spotted Devil of Gummlapur'''
Over an area of some 250 square miles, a man-eating leopard is responsible for some 42 human deaths. When Anderson arrives to dispatch the animal, villagers are reluctant to assist as they believed the shaitan would hear of it and hasten their death. Anderson spends his nights waiting up for the panther, first using himself as bait and then changing tact and using a dummy. On one such night he comes across a stray dog, which he keeps with him for company in his hut. The dog ends up saving his life by signaling when the panther finally arrives at Anderson's hut, in repayment Anderson takes the dog home and names him 'Nipper'.
'''The Striped Terror of Chamala Valley'''
In 1937 a tiger is responsible for the death of seven people in the space of six months. Anderson locates the tiger by tying out baits, and though not fully equipped he decides to sit up over the kill and await the tigers return. Successfully killing the tiger, the locals help to carry it back to the village, though Anderson begins to doubt if infact this is the correct tiger. Days later a report reaches him of a further tiger attack in the region, Anderson arrives on the scene and tracks the trail of the tiger up a dry stream bed... this time he has found the right tiger.
'''The Hosdurga-Holalkere Man-eater'''
Anderson recounts the cat and mouse game that ensued in the hunt for the Hosdurga-Holalkere maneating tiger along with his friend Mac. Whilst sitting over human remains atop a large cluster of boulders, Anderson sits with his back to a sheer drop of 12 foot and as such believes himself safe from an attack from the rear - but unexpectedly that is where the man-eater decides to attack.
'''The Rogue Elephant of Panapatti'''
An elephant with one whole tusk and one half tusk turns rogue to the Panapatti area and is responsible for multiple human deaths. Anderson first encounters the elephant when out trying to bag a peacock - armed only with a shotgun. Anderson escapes unscathed, though the elephant goes on to attack a camp of people - causing the government to double its reward for the animal. Anderson spends four laborious days tracking the elephant through the jungle, finally coming across a lone elephant - but un-sure if it's the right animal until it turns to face him.
'''The Maneater of Segur'''
After first recounting a story of a pack of wild dogs taking on a tigress in the Nilgiri Hills, Anderson goes on to detail his hunt for the man-eating tiger of the same region. After a run in with a Sloth bear family, and two failed vigils over two different human kills, Anderson comes across the one-eyed tiger by chance when a Sambar deer sounds its warning.
'''The Maneater of Yemmaydoddi'''
Early in 1946 a small male tiger appeared in the Yemmaydoddi locality and started lifting local cattle. In 1948, after breaking down in Tiptur, Anderson and his friend Alfie finally arrive in Birur to find they are given the choice of shooting either a cattle lifting panther or a cattle lifting tiger. They opt for the panther, and after only wounding it, follow up the kill the next morning. After they leave the region, the tiger they decided not to hunt is wounded badly in the lower jaw by a local villager protecting his cattle. When the tiger turns to man-eating Anderson returns to the region. Months go by of monotonous nights of waiting, until finally Anderson gets a shot at the tiger. Only managing to wound the animal, he returns the next day to track the tiger with the help of a herd of buffalo.
'''The Killer of Jalahalli'''
During a rabbit beat in the Jalahalli region, a leopard (previously wounded by a policeman) caught between the nets and the beaters & dogs, succeeds in mauling six people in order to escape. Locals persist in trying to bring the leopard to bag, but the leopard is a fighter and survives their assaults and in the progress managing to maul a total of 11 people and kill 3. Anderson arrives in the area and the leopard again manages to escape the attempt on his life, obtaining more wounds in the progress. The next day Anderson follows circling vultures to the body of the leopard which had painfully succumbed to its many wounds.
'''The Hermit of Devarayandurga'''
A local tigeress is nicknamed 'the hermit' due to it's shabby appearance and choice of abode. Not a recorded man-eater, it reportedly was very aggressive towards humans, and killed two men and one woman. After spending some very cold, all night vigils sat over baits, Anderson gets a shot at the tigress. Badly wounding the animal, he has a tense morning following its distinctive blood trail until he puts an end to 'the hermit'.
'''Byra the Poojaree'''
Anderson recounts how a chance meeting with a poacher, turns into a close friendship of over 25 years and who appears in many of his hunting stories. Sharing some hunting stories about Byra, including a vicious bear attack and Byra's part in hunting a man-eater in the Muthur area.
'''The Tigers of Tagarthy '''
Anderson found the village of Tagarthy to have no less than 4 tigers operating in the area, and on one single day - eight cattle kills were reported to have been made by tigers. Anderson recounts his own close encounters with the tigers of the region, including the story of how local man Sham Rao Bapat comes to shoot one of these tigers in his garden, and his hunt for the hostile, cattle lifting tiger of Goowja.
Nine Maneaters And One Rogue (1954, George Allen & Unwin)
'''The Maneater of Jowlagiri'''
A tigress turns man-eater after being wounded by a poacher in the Jowlagiri area. After the death toll reaches around fifteen, Anderson is contacted to track it down. Anderson has an agonizing wait sat over a human kill, followed by a lucky escape when the man-eater starts to stalk him. The man-eater is not heard of again for another 5 months, when a fresh human kill is reported Anderson heads back to Jowlagiri where he manages to lure the tigress to her death by imitating a tiger's mating call.
'''The Spotted Devil of Gummlapur'''
Over an area of some 250 square miles, a man-eating leopard is responsible for some 42 human deaths. When Anderson arrives to dispatch the animal, villagers are reluctant to assist as they believed the shaitan would hear of it and hasten their death. Anderson spends his nights waiting up for the panther, first using himself as bait and then changing tact and using a dummy. On one such night he comes across a stray dog, which he keeps with him for company in his hut. The dog ends up saving his life by signaling when the panther finally arrives at Anderson's hut, in repayment Anderson takes the dog home and names him 'Nipper'.
'''The Striped Terror of Chamala Valley'''
In 1937 a tiger is responsible for the death of seven people in the space of six months. Anderson locates the tiger by tying out baits, and though not fully equipped he decides to sit up over the kill and await the tigers return. Successfully killing the tiger, the locals help to carry it back to the village, though Anderson begins to doubt if infact this is the correct tiger. Days later a report reaches him of a further tiger attack in the region, Anderson arrives on the scene and tracks the trail of the tiger up a dry stream bed... this time he has found the right tiger.
'''The Hosdurga-Holalkere Man-eater'''
Anderson recounts the cat and mouse game that ensued in the hunt for the Hosdurga-Holalkere maneating tiger along with his friend Mac. Whilst sitting over human remains atop a large cluster of boulders, Anderson sits with his back to a sheer drop of 12 foot and as such believes himself safe from an attack from the rear - but unexpectedly that is where the man-eater decides to attack.
'''The Rogue Elephant of Panapatti'''
An elephant with one whole tusk and one half tusk turns rogue to the Panapatti area and is responsible for multiple human deaths. Anderson first encounters the elephant when out trying to bag a peacock - armed only with a shotgun. Anderson escapes unscathed, though the elephant goes on to attack a camp of people - causing the government to double its reward for the animal. Anderson spends four laborious days tracking the elephant through the jungle, finally coming across a lone elephant - but un-sure if it's the right animal until it turns to face him.
'''The Maneater of Segur'''
After first recounting a story of a pack of wild dogs taking on a tigress in the Nilgiri Hills, Anderson goes on to detail his hunt for the man-eating tiger of the same region. After a run in with a Sloth bear family, and two failed vigils over two different human kills, Anderson comes across the one-eyed tiger by chance when a Sambar deer sounds its warning.
'''The Maneater of Yemmaydoddi'''
Early in 1946 a small male tiger appeared in the Yemmaydoddi locality and started lifting local cattle. In 1948, after breaking down in Tiptur, Anderson and his friend Alfie finally arrive in Birur to find they are given the choice of shooting either a cattle lifting panther or a cattle lifting tiger. They opt for the panther, and after only wounding it, follow up the kill the next morning. After they leave the region, the tiger they decided not to hunt is wounded badly in the lower jaw by a local villager protecting his cattle. When the tiger turns to man-eating Anderson returns to the region. Months go by of monotonous nights of waiting, until finally Anderson gets a shot at the tiger. Only managing to wound the animal, he returns the next day to track the tiger with the help of a herd of buffalo.
'''The Killer of Jalahalli'''
During a rabbit beat in the Jalahalli region, a leopard (previously wounded by a policeman) caught between the nets and the beaters & dogs, succeeds in mauling six people in order to escape. Locals persist in trying to bring the leopard to bag, but the leopard is a fighter and survives their assaults and in the progress managing to maul a total of 11 people and kill 3. Anderson arrives in the area and the leopard again manages to escape the attempt on his life, obtaining more wounds in the progress. The next day Anderson follows circling vultures to the body of the leopard which had painfully succumbed to its many wounds.
'''The Hermit of Devarayandurga'''
A local tigeress is nicknamed 'the hermit' due to it's shabby appearance and choice of abode. Not a recorded man-eater, it reportedly was very aggressive towards humans, and killed two men and one woman. After spending some very cold, all night vigils sat over baits, Anderson gets a shot at the tigress. Badly wounding the animal, he has a tense morning following its distinctive blood trail until he puts an end to 'the hermit'.
'''Byra the Poojaree'''
Anderson recounts how a chance meeting with a poacher, turns into a close friendship of over 25 years and who appears in many of his hunting stories. Sharing some hunting stories about Byra, including a vicious bear attack and Byra's part in hunting a man-eater in the Muthur area.
'''The Tigers of Tagarthy '''
Anderson found the village of Tagarthy to have no less than 4 tigers operating in the area, and on one single day - eight cattle kills were reported to have been made by tigers. Anderson recounts his own close encounters with the tigers of the region, including the story of how local man Sham Rao Bapat comes to shoot one of these tigers in his garden, and his hunt for the hostile, cattle lifting tiger of Goowja.
November 24, 2018
When my grandma told me that this is one of her favourite books and that it's full of lovely animal stories I really did expect something else. Definitely not 11 tiger-related jungle bloodsheds... But anyway. It is written in very catchy, suspenseful way. It imaginatively, but not exhaustingly describes Indian jungle in it's raw beauty, using all of the senses. I liked it and it was an easy read. The only real problem I've had with the book is that all the stories seemed way too similiar for me, so it got a bit boring at the end. What I liked the most on the other hand was how thriling the storytelling was.
Sorry to all of my family members for being a bit unpleasant (a bit, haha :D) when they tried to talk to me in the middle of the most dramatic parts...
Sorry to all of my family members for being a bit unpleasant (a bit, haha :D) when they tried to talk to me in the middle of the most dramatic parts...
March 16, 2020
Thrilling experiences right in the jungle,
WoW... I am reading this book for the sixth time and still it is fresh, thrilling and unputdownable...
The book transports the reader, right into the centre of the experience, where the heart beats louder than all the jungle sounds and the ferocious man eater, with the snarling and rage contorted face is just about to make it leap, with a blood curdling roar...
WoW... I am reading this book for the sixth time and still it is fresh, thrilling and unputdownable...
The book transports the reader, right into the centre of the experience, where the heart beats louder than all the jungle sounds and the ferocious man eater, with the snarling and rage contorted face is just about to make it leap, with a blood curdling roar...
July 6, 2021
An engaging but occasionally repetitive collection of real life adventure stories. There are some genuinely terrifying moments. The Killer of Jalahalli chapter stands out as the most exciting.
Kenneth Anderson isn't afraid to admit his mistakes while hunting man-eaters. Some of which indirectly led to the deaths of local people. He portrays tigers as sympathetic creatures and condemns the actions of humans that cause carnivores to turn into man-eaters.
Kenneth Anderson isn't afraid to admit his mistakes while hunting man-eaters. Some of which indirectly led to the deaths of local people. He portrays tigers as sympathetic creatures and condemns the actions of humans that cause carnivores to turn into man-eaters.
December 24, 2024
My first Kenneth Anderson book. This is my fourth Shikari book. The book is good and Anderson narrates his hunting experiences and he operated in South India and more close to my native place of Erode which makes the book more interesting to me unlike unfamiliar places of Jim Corbette books. He writes interestingly and in simple words. Still Jim Corbette is a great story teller compared to Anderson. I enjoyed this book fully.
June 4, 2018
Super read
Exciting shikari stories, a lot of fun and thrill. Kenneth is an gem of a writer. Great book. KP .
Exciting shikari stories, a lot of fun and thrill. Kenneth is an gem of a writer. Great book. KP .
July 10, 2025
Kenneth, The Daredevil, with his .405 Winchester Rifle in one hand and tobacco pipe in another is an image that is forever etched in my mind. The buildup about the Man-Eaters by the local villagers, to the extent that they only whisper about the Satanic killers; and then Ken motoring his way from Bangalore into rescuing the terrified village by setting baits and machans; the entire animal kingdom coming alive to help him in the hunt - this one made me fall in love with the jungles of South India even more.
My Favourite hunt is "The Rogue Elephant of Panapatti". Especially the climax, in his own words: "The great bulk stood still, then shivered as if stricken with terrible ague, and finally collapses, as if pole-axed, in the shallow waters of the creek, which rapidly became reddened with blood, as the rays of the late afternoon sun vanished beneath the rim of the towering peak of Mount Ponachi Malai on the Coimbatore bank, sending streaks of crimson light into the orange sky."
Ken, You're my Hero. 😍
My Favourite hunt is "The Rogue Elephant of Panapatti". Especially the climax, in his own words: "The great bulk stood still, then shivered as if stricken with terrible ague, and finally collapses, as if pole-axed, in the shallow waters of the creek, which rapidly became reddened with blood, as the rays of the late afternoon sun vanished beneath the rim of the towering peak of Mount Ponachi Malai on the Coimbatore bank, sending streaks of crimson light into the orange sky."
Ken, You're my Hero. 😍
July 22, 2020
A very interesting account of the denizens of the jungles of
India and their interactions with man and his chattel and each other. The risk of death or serious injury always present.
India and their interactions with man and his chattel and each other. The risk of death or serious injury always present.
January 31, 2024
Good read on tales of Indian jungle
A nice read about tales of Indian jungle and the great cat, tiger. The setting of the locations are in south of India, but not any different than Jim Corbett’s books.
A nice read about tales of Indian jungle and the great cat, tiger. The setting of the locations are in south of India, but not any different than Jim Corbett’s books.
February 3, 2018
A classic book with a very gripping narrative. You feel as if you are watching the encounters with the wild animals live.
December 16, 2020
Adventure
Great hunting stories from long ago India. Worth reading to anyone who hunts or understands the hunter creed.
Good book
Great hunting stories from long ago India. Worth reading to anyone who hunts or understands the hunter creed.
Good book
December 28, 2020
Very Interesting
This book is worth reading. The language is not profane and easy to understand. He knows how to write and keep you absorbed in the book.
This book is worth reading. The language is not profane and easy to understand. He knows how to write and keep you absorbed in the book.
April 21, 2021
Engaging
Very enjoyable. You experience what life was like in that era and the reality of living side by side with animals capable of making a meal of you.
Very enjoyable. You experience what life was like in that era and the reality of living side by side with animals capable of making a meal of you.
September 21, 2025
If you are a fan of Corbett's accounts of hunting man-eaters in India then you will enjoy Anderson's accounts of his own adventures with leopards and tigers. I would rate Corbett as the better writer of the two, but Anderson provides plenty of tension and excitement. Anderson's encounters take place in the southern area around what was then called Bangalore (now Bengaluru) where as Corbett hunted the famous Rudraprayag around 1000 miles further north. This is the first of eight books Anderson would write about his adventures in India.
August 2, 2022
Great tale about man eaters. The book is set in early 1900s, when India had large number of tigers and lots of forest cover. Every story is elaborately written and takes you back in time. I thoroughly enjoyed each chapter.
September 27, 2016
Kenneth andersons short tales around hunting the man eaters of the south indian forests and gripping. Though if you are to comare the narration of these with that of jim corbet books, this book falls well short of the gripping tales in the later. Having said that, for readers who love adventure stuff this is a good novel to read
June 17, 2011
unputdownable. except the gore in it made my stomach flip a bit, especially early in the mornings. the killings are a bit hard to digest in these times of conservation, but when you consider that the stories are from nearly 100 years ago it is easier to understand. highly recommended.
April 18, 2020
A thrilling and mesmerizing read
A thrilling read. Also the description of the forest is so enchanting. Loved it, especially myself being stationed in Bangalore and a nature lover....loved reading it
A thrilling read. Also the description of the forest is so enchanting. Loved it, especially myself being stationed in Bangalore and a nature lover....loved reading it
May 26, 2014
liked the description of chamala valley,would like to visit it sometime
June 11, 2014
A real feast for wild life enthuasiast.
December 20, 2015
I forgot everything else while reading the book. Very interesting narrations. Loved it!
July 30, 2017
Entertainingly written
Included are first and second hand accounts of encounters with tigers, panthers, bears, and elephant of southern India. The author is a sportsman
Included are first and second hand accounts of encounters with tigers, panthers, bears, and elephant of southern India. The author is a sportsman
August 4, 2017
Great, amazing book
The style of writing, the figurative approach and treasures of the jungle. Far by the best, if you are into jungle books, just don't miss this
The style of writing, the figurative approach and treasures of the jungle. Far by the best, if you are into jungle books, just don't miss this
November 11, 2019
Tiger tales.
Very good hunting stories. I will read more of his books. I also like seeing someone using a lever gun.
Very good hunting stories. I will read more of his books. I also like seeing someone using a lever gun.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews