Live from the Indian Jungles

looking for lizzi and ended up with python
"Haavu!" shouted Thavrgatte and jumped over a small stream, i have never seen anybody jump instantly so high!. Thavrgatte had a obvious reason to jump, he almost stepped on a huge python!!. Thavrgatte a forest guard at Bandipura National park, with him another guard and my friend Murthy and myself we were at Gopalswamy betta (hill) in Bandipura on a short trek. The jungle was at its best with lush green after few pre-monsoon showers . Murthy and myself met up with Thavrgatte in his make shift camp under a rock in the hill which is their anti-poaching camp in the morning and had jaggry tea over looking jungle and the blue mountains which is no wonder called Nilgiris as they look blue from far and Bandipura forms part of its Biosphere Reserve.
After Tea we set out for the trek where Thavrgatte got his double barrel gun and said 'today i will show you tiger and we can get close to elephants i am not sacred of anything in the jungle as i am born and grown here'. Thats true this forest was his home and not only he knew the area well but had amazing experience as he was also ex- Veerappan informer, poacher and every time i used to pull his leg by mentioning Veerappan's name he used to get angry. Now as he is a changed man he is appointed as forest guard.
As we trekked down from the camp few 100mts i saw fresh sets of tracks near a small spring on wet mud, it had claw marks with tail dragging. It was unmistakable tracks big monitor lizard and as i showed it to others Thavrgatte got very excited and said 'i will track it and we can catch and you can take picture of us with it and release it!', 'ok lets track it' i said. We split to track in wide area as the tracks went into under growth, i went straight to small rocks which was next to bushes and as i was looking there Thavrgatte called ' saar its here' and as i turned around thats when he jumped like no man has jumped!!. laying still in the undergrowth was this huge python and it looked like it had eaten something just then.

Probably the lizard which we were looking for?!. May be it, as the swollen part of the snake looked like longish and big, like big monitor lizard!. And i have met , seen and heard about many tribals, they all are brave and not afraid of anything in the bush but snakes!.

The snake was a beautiful specimen of easily 9-12ft long. And as we were close, it had taken its striking position. All of them were insisting me to catch for which i refused as it may regurgitate due to stress.

I asked them come little closer and have a good look before we leave this snake alone to digest its meal which would easily last for many days and also took few of these pictures with my film camera and many months later these pics were scanned and i had lost the cd until recently i found it.

I am missing those Bandipur days trekking in the forest and seeing these amazing things on foot.
Later that days trek Thavrgatte kept looking at me and smiling, recalling the incident.