Champawat Tigress

The famous story of "Moby Dick" tells the tale of the fight between a man and a beast. While that story may be fictitious, this is the tale of the famous terror that terrified the northern parts of India, claiming 436 documented lives. This is the story of the famous hunt that earned Jim Corbett a widespread reputation.

An illustration of Champawat maneater I Source: Indiatimes

Animals and humans have long lived together in tandem on this planet. Both have evolved to co-exist, be it wolves that have evolved into dogs or wildcats that have turned into our purrfect companions. We humans tend to think that we are the smartest and most dangerous animals on land. But sometimes, animals revert to their basic instincts and unleash their primal fury. Such is the tale of a tigress who haunted men and reminded them who's the real animal!

In the land of Gods, Uttarakhand, the terror of a beast made people fear for their lives in broad daylight. This is the story of the maneater of Champawat. The story begins in the late 1890s in Nepal, a period when British officials and royalty participated in frequent hunts. In one such hunt in the Rupal village in Nepal, a group of tigers was killed, and a few were badly injured. The famed tigress was also injured; she was shot in the face, and her upper and lower canine teeth were broken.

This injury led her to target a more vulnerable prey: humans. People noticed a sudden increase in disappearances, and rumours of a pack of maneater tigers began to circulate. Several hunts by skilled hunters were organised, but the tigress couldn't be captured. Finally, the Nepalese army organised a massive patrol and drove the tigress to the Kumaon district.

The tigress marked the Kumaon territory and began her dominance in the region. She started to hunt in broad daylight, primarily targeting women and children who collected firewood from the jungle. Her behaviour closely resembled that of a Siberian tiger, known for its expanded territory and daytime hunting habits. The tigress wreaked havoc on the region, and people were afraid to leave their houses. Many hunts were organised, and a large prize was offered, but the tigress evaded everyone and travelled long distances at night.

The documented victim count reached 435. Then, a British official contacted Jim Corbett. Jim Corbett was not a skilled hunter, but he was known for his ingenuity and tracking abilities. He was a daredevil and wanted to make this hunt even more challenging. He asked the officials to withdraw the prize money and call off the other hunting parties, as he wanted to prove his merit.

In 1907, in the village of Fungar, a sixteen-year-old girl named Premika Devi was killed by the tigress. Jim Corbett tracked the blood trail and was unexpectedly attacked by the tigress. The ill-prepared hunter managed to scare her off with two shots. But he was determined to face his adversary again and end this terror. The next day, he organised a massive patrol of 300 men with the help of the Tehsildar.

Jim Corbett with the maneater I Source: Indiatimes

The final confrontation began, and loud drums disturbed and drove the tigress out of her hiding place. Agitated by the noise, she started roaring and leaping at people. Finally, she came face to face with Jim Corbett. He shot thrice; one missed, but the other two hit the tigress's shoulder and back, wounding her but not killing her. Jim Corbett's rifle ran out of bullets, and the tigress, still standing, leapt on him. He swiftly took the Tehsildar's shotgun and shot the tigress, finally ending the terror.

Thus, the maneater's reign came to an end; she claimed 436 documented lives and made the Guinness Book of Records for the most documented fatalities by any animal. The postmortem by Jim Corbett revealed the tigress's age to be around ten to twelve years and her broken teeth confirmed the theory of her being shot and hunting humans. This story demonstrates the primal nature of an animal and serves as a testament to the unbreakable human spirit.