Disclaimer

Last updated: 28 September 2026

Stories

The stories on Guldaar are retellings, in our own words, of historical accounts published by hunters, naturalists and writers. They are provided for general reading, education and entertainment. The original works, and the copyright in them, belong to their authors, estates and publishers, who are credited in each post. Guldaar is not affiliated with or endorsed by any of them.

Accuracy

We try to be faithful to the original accounts and to check names, places and dates. However, historical records can be incomplete, and place names change over time. If you find an error, please let us know through the Contact page.

Images

Illustrations are vintage engravings and plates believed to be in the public domain, sourced mainly from Wikimedia Commons, with credits given in each post. If you believe an image has been used incorrectly, please contact us and we will review it promptly.

Wildlife

Guldaar does not promote or encourage hunting. Leopards are protected wildlife in India and in most countries. Nothing on this site is advice on dealing with wild animals; if a leopard is seen near people, contact the local forest department.

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The Man-Eating Panther of the Yellagiri Hills: Kenneth Anderson and the Mail-Runner's Killer

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Every morning at six o'clock, the mail-runner left the little post office at Jalarpet railway station and started up the steep, boulder-strewn path into the Yellagiri Hills. He carried the letters in a bag across his shoulders and a short spear hung with iron rings, which he struck on the ground every few steps. The jingling told the villagers above that the post was coming. It was also supposed to scare away snakes. One morning, the jingling never came. By the time anyone went looking, all they found on the trail were splashes of dried blood, the runner's spear lying beside a bush, and, a little further on, what was left of the man himself.
Continue reading: The Man-Eating Panther of the Yellagiri Hills: Kenneth Anderson and the Mail-Runner's Killer

The Gajald Man-Eater: Joy Hukil and the Leopard on the Temple Path

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Rajendra Nautiyal walked the same path every morning. At first light he climbed through the oak and pine above Gajald village to the little temple of Bala Sundari, said his prayers, and came back down the forest trail in time for the day's work. On the morning of 4 December 2025 he was halfway home, at about half past six, when something came out of the trees beside the path. He was forty-five years old. He did not reach his house. By the time the village found him, the whole of Pauri already knew what had happened: the guldar had killed again, on a path a few minutes from the district headquarters, in daylight.
Continue reading: The Gajald Man-Eater: Joy Hukil and the Leopard on the Temple Path

The Spotted Devil of Gummalapur: Kenneth Anderson and the Leopard That Killed 42

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There is a particular kind of silence that falls over an Indian village when a man-eater is working the area. The dogs stop barking. Doors that were never locked are barred with logs before sunset. Nobody steps out to relieve themselves after dark, not even when they are sick. And every morning, before anything else, people count heads. In the dry, boulder-strewn scrub country south-east of Bangalore, that silence lasted for years. The cause was a single leopard. By the time it was finally shot, it had killed around forty-two men, women and children, and the villagers had given up any hope that it could be stopped. The man who stopped it, Kenneth Anderson, later called it "the Spotted Devil of Gummalapur". This is its story, retold.
Continue reading: The Spotted Devil of Gummalapur: Kenneth Anderson and the Leopard That Killed 42