TIGRESS UNDER TABLE

Hutt News, Volume 1, Issue 33, 24 January 1929, Page 8

TIGRESS UNDER TABLE

One of those extraordinary encounters with wild aninjals, ■ which the Indian officer regards as part of his work and '' nothing to write home about, '' has just been recounted in the current issue of the "Indian Forest Ranger". The details have been vouched for by a forest officer in. the locality concerned.

iWMIe on a recent tour in the jungle Mr . Wimbush, Conservator of Forests for Madras Presidency, along with, another conservator and two district forest officers was "visited" in the little forest rest house by an old tigress.

One evening just after sundown, ,when some of the party were enjoying their well-earned baths, Mr fWimbush was informed by a villager that "a large striped animal had just jumped on to the verandah.' ' Believing that it could be nothing more than a pig-dog, /he strolled along and searched, and was amazed to find a fully-sized tigress seated comfortaby in one of the rooms under the table on which a petrol lamp was burning. Hurriedly retreating for his rifle he spread the news and a shot was fired' through the open door. £ ''Pandemonium followed. The tigress jumped up, knocked over the furniture, and: the lamp—which fortunately went out —and the door of the room was hurriedly closed. . m

The party then crept round to another door, pushing it cautiously open but could not see the tigress anywhere until' one of them spotted 'her 'tail almost curled round the door which they had. just openel. The tigress, evidently hit, was crouching just round the door. This door was furtively closed and the party then held a council of war on what appeared to be a deicate' situation.

Securing a ladder, they climbed to the roof and made a hole through the thatch, through which position the daring tigress was given her coupe-de-grace.

Mrs Wimbush, (the conservator's wife) has also experienced some of those alarming incidents which come to people who tour the India jungle periodically. Quite recently she was taking a stroll in the Ganjam district of (Madras, accompanied by an ayah, a dog and two children. "While walking along a fire line ( a straight clearing of jungle to. prevent fire spreading), a panther came out of the forest at the side, seized the dog and dashe"d off into the jungle ftt the other side.. Mrs "Wimbush shouted, waved her parasol*—having no more f ormadable weapon*-^and the panther dropped the dog and cleared off.