Wild Tales from the Wild

by Saad Bin Jung

Ever shared your dining table with a cobra? Or your swimming pool with an elephant? Or come face to face with a tiger in the wilds with Tiger Pataudi as your companion? For all those who love a good yarn as much as they do wildlife, this book about one man's life in the jungles is essential reading.

For the weary urban dweller, the verdant Mangala valley near the Bandipur National Park in Karnataka,; would seem like a haven of peace and tranquility. Appearances could not be more deceptive, as Saad Bin Jung discovered after forsaking his life in the city for a stone cottage in the valley. If the surrounding jungles were teeming with wildlife of every variety, the life that the human of the area led was no less wild. Here, he recounts the adventures that he had with some of them: the leopard who moved into 'bison cottage', the dining hall cobra, the magnificent Mangala tiger, Torn Ears, the most-photographed gaur of his time, and the elephants whom he loved with a passion, Colonel Hathi, Jayaprakash and even the Rightchipped Tusker with his bullying ways, amongst them. Not to be outdone were the members of the Kuruba tribe and other humans - Mr B, the family expert, the elderly manager with a raging libido, the gorgeous foreign girls who almost saw him booted out of the family - who came to share his life at Bush Betta, the wildlife resort that he set up in 1991. Hair-raising and hilarious, these are stories that anyone who has had a taste of the wild, or wished that they could, will enjoy, as much for their drama and comedy as for the many fascinating insights into animal behaviour that they provide. No less compelling is the message between the lines, the grandeur and beauty of India's forests, and the need to preserve them at all costs.

203 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Saad Bin Jung has spent more than twenty years travelling through the forests of India and Africa. When ill health compelled him to give up his first career of professional cricket, he turned to his other passion - wildlife. Today, in addition to running the Bush Betta resort, he also organizes angling and adventure camps in different jungles and Bush Betta trekking adventures. A scion of the royal families of Pataudi and Bhopal and the Paigah Wali ud Dowla of Hyderabad, he was a member of the Wildlife Advisory Board of Karnataka and is in the forefront of the eco-tourism movement that strives to use tourism as an integral tool for conservation.

Reviews

[Osama Siddique · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lovingly told account of the setting up of a pioneering eco-tourism outfit in the jungles of central India; gradually getting to know the wildlife in the area and befriending tribal inhabitants; and having some memorable encounters with the at times unpredictable denizens of the jungle, many of whom have distinct personalities and habits. We have some fantastic descriptions of the Indian jungle (whether through Corbett of the northern Terai jungles or Anderson and even Kipling when it comes to central India) but this book is unique because it comes from neither a hunter nor a fiction writer but a conservationist with a camera in his hand. Saad bin Jung's - a promising young cricketer and a scion of the royal families of Pataudi and Bhopal - story is inspiring because he got enchanted at a young age by the jungle and decided to carve out a life there for himself and his family that had its risks and uncertainties but that not only added so much flavor, fun and purpose to their existence but also made invaluable contributions to forest and animal preservation at a time when it is most threatened.

Set specifically in the Mangala Valley near the picturesque Bandipur National Park in Karnataka, the book offers a variety of very readable and fascinating episodes - most commonly encounters with wild elephants (including quite a few hair-raising elephant charges and various very close shaves) but also sightings, encounters and descriptions of tigers, leopards, the Indian Gaur, sloth bears, snakes and various other animals. The narrative voice is laidback, engaging and often witty. It provides a good sense of the charms, contours, nature and dangers of the jungle; intricacies of animal behavior; and, aspects of native culture of the forest dwellers. One engrossing chapter deals with a timber smuggler's perspective and experience of engaging in smuggling while facing law enforcement agencies as well as dangerous animals. Another very amusing chapter is about a relative who thinks of himself as a master of jungle craft but whose consistent cluelessness creates some tight situations for himself and his companions.

A book worth reading for those interested in the wild and the jungles of South Asia. Already keen to do so this book has whetted my appetite to visit Bandipur and the author's eco-friendly resort.

[Souhitya Sen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unputdownable. The narration is crisp, engaging; the events depicted are full of thrills, sometimes funny, sometimes tragic but always fascinating. This book is an absolute gem.

[Gowri N. · Rating 2 out of 5]

The writing was good. So were the stories Jung shared. Somehow, the book did not grip me as many other jungle/wild books have. Though I read it just last week, my recollection of what I read is already hazy - that's a bad sign!