Letter 54 Crocodile Hunter.

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From Shanti,            
Titirangi,            
Auckland,            
New Zealand.            

            To Joseph,
            The Game Reserve,
            Andhra Pradesh,
            India.

Hello to you, Joseph, Lizamoa and Ragesh.
        Hi from New Zealand again.
        We are still doing very well. I have quit work for a while to have the baby. I’m now five days overdue. Mike said she must have heard me moaning about how much I like being pregnant and she is staying in there longer just to teach me a lesson. Anyway, the doctor said that if nothing happens soon they may need to help things along or even in the worst case take the baby.
        Congratulations on the birth of your son. We were so pleased to read that everything went well when we received your E-mail. It was even better on Sunday when you talked with us on the phone.
        It is very interesting that the baby is a lot lighter in colour than normal Indian babies. Like you said often babies are first a bit lighter in colour soon after they are born. We will have to see how he looks after a few months but I can’t help wondering about what you told us concerning the possible father.
        Yes, Joseph, you kicked my arse that time. I will try to 'refrain' from comments about Sarvesh or Indian males in general. Well, maybe I might slip in a little comment when you are not looking. Ha! Ha!

        Now on to the story for this letter.
        As we had talked about, Joseph arranged to take us all to the Game Reserve for a tour in the morning and then some fun by the lake in the afternoon. We followed the same plan by getting there early to watch the sun rising at the big lake where we could see all the best animals.
        Again we had breakfast at the restaurant before Joseph took us on a tour of the rest of the park. Again we got to see many things the other normal tourists never get to see and also one of the best parts was when we were able to visit the animal hospital.
        The vet, Rosemary was there again and happy to show us around. I think it was interesting to see how well the sick monkey was this time. She was almost ready to go back into the park. Then Joseph broke some bad news to us.
        “Rosemary has just told me the large crocodile seen in the small lake is still there so I am sorry Shanti but there will be no swimming today. And we will have to be careful not to go too close to the water,” Joseph said.
        I was a bit disappointed at this but I certainly wasn’t going swimming where there were crocodiles anyway.
        He then went on, “We have just received permission to hunt it if we can. The Park Service is concerned that it might kill one of the Indian Rhinos or the baby elephants. I will be taking a gun with us today.”
        “So you are allowed to hunt crocodiles in India?” asked Mike.
        “Not normally we are allowed to kill them. Particularly the freshwater ones, the Mugger Crocodile, which is becoming rare, but this one is larger, a Saltwater Crocodile. It can kill almost any animal which comes for the drinking so we do not want it in the Game Reserve.”
        “Is it possible to capture it?”
        “Yes, we could do that one. It could take some time to get the equipment and make the capture. It is also a dangerous thing to be doing. So the Head Office has given me the permission to kill it before it kills too many more animals.”
        “What does it take to kill a crocodile?” I asked.
        “Oh we have some large rifles which will do but they need to be hit in just the right spot.” Then he paused for a moment looking at Mike before continuing. “Oh, Mike didn’t you say do hunting in New Zealand?” Joseph asked.
        “Yes, mainly deer, pigs and goats. I’ve never hunted a crocodile.”
        “What gun did you use for your hunting?”
        “Depends what we were after but mainly a 303 or a 22.”
        “Do you want to have a go at this crocodile?”
        “Sure,” replied Mike.
        “As long as you don’t go too close,” I warned him.
        So they went into the Reserve Office and soon came out carrying three guns. We then started on our way to the lake. The others were a bit quiet in the van. I think don’t think this hunting thing was going down too well, especially with the girls. In my case, I was interested too.
        We came to the lake and parked close to the fenced-off picnic area. To our surprise, the fence around the area had been damaged. Something big and heavy had ripped a large hole to get in. There was damage to one of the tables and both rubbish bins were pushed over and badly dented.
        “Looks like he is in here after the rubbish,” Mike said.
        “Looks like it. This fellow is becoming a nuisance I am thinking,” replied Joseph. “He is not scared of the smell of humans. That means he is extra dangerous. We are going to have to do something about him now.”

        I looked out over the lake. It looked so peaceful, so calm and still, just like the other day when we went swimming. There were birds in the water and some small animals I didn’t recognise drinking on the other side. I gave a shudder as I thought about what must be lurking beneath those waters.
        “Where do we find this crocodile?” I asked.
        “This time of the day he will probably be lying in the sun on a bank somewhere. They are saying he usually is down near the stream at the other end. I think we should go and take a look,” said Joseph.
        We drove down to where a small stream flowed into the lake. At first, there appeared to be nothing around but then Mike spotted him. The crocodile was lying in the sun on the other side of the stream. There was a log which mostly hid him from our view. By the look of it, he was a big one too.
        “We can work around to the top of that little hill,” suggested Joseph. “It will be safe there and we should be able to get a clean shot at him.”
        “Ok,” agreed Mike.
        “They left everyone at the van and reached for the guns. After checking the guns, they loaded them and made ready to leave. It was obvious that only the two of them were going. Suddenly I decided I wanted to go too.
        “Hey, you guys. Don’t go without me,” I said.
        “Shanti, this is no place for a woman,” Joseph told me.
        “There you go again Joseph with that sexist attitude. I want to come and I’m a good shot too. I can carry the other gun.”
        Joseph looked surprised at this outburst, but I heard a snigger from Liz behind me. I know he is not used to women telling him what to do.
        “Yes, she’s right. She is almost as good a shot as me,” explained Mike.
        “Well OK,” said Joseph. “But be careful and stay behind us.”
        “What about me?” asked Lizamoa. “If Shanti is in, I want to come too.”
        “No Lizamoa, this is very dangerous. It is not safe to be hunting crocodiles. And do you want to see the killing?”
        “Yes, Joseph I know that. I will keep back out of the way but I would like to come and see this.”
        “Now Lizamoa I don’t...”
        “If Shanti is in this, I can go too."
        Joseph was again shocked at this outburst from his wife but finally, he said, “OK then if you want. You can go to Lizamoa. You two must stay back out of the way.”

        We circled around through the bush until we came out on the little hill above where the crocodile was lying. Although we were fairly close there was the stream and a short steep slope up to where we stood. This gave us a safe clear vantage point. Yes, he was a big one too! He turned his head slightly and his massive tail moved.
        “Careful,” whispered Joseph. “He must have heard us. If he gets our scent or sees us he is off into the water and away.”
        Joseph moved to get a better position and lifted his gun to take aim. Suddenly he looked around at me. He waved for me to come over.
        “Here Shanti,” he whispered. “Do you want the first shot?”
        I nodded 'yes', not believing what he had asked me.
        “Here take aim just behind the head," Joseph instructed me. "From this angle, your shot will go straight down into his head, right through the brain." Then turning to Mike he added, "Mike, we both fire as soon as she gets her shot off,” explained Joseph.
        My heart was pounding so hard I was sure the crocodile would hear me. I lifted the gun to take aim, lined up with the sight just behind the head as Joseph had told me. This was a heavy gun and it took me a moment to get the feel of it, to balance it properly. On either side, the guys were taking aim as well.
        Taking a deep breath, I lined up with the sights just slightly above the crocodile’s head, then as I gently dropped the gun across the target I squeezed the trigger. The crack of the rifle was loud in my ear. The recoil kicked back hard into my shoulder. It almost knocked me off my feet. This gun was much larger than the ones I usually use.
        Two shots exploded on either side of me.
        The crocodile jumped, leaping a couple of steps towards the water before dropping to the ground. After giving a couple of kicks, it lay still.
        “Good shot Shanti,” Joseph said. “I think you got him with your shot. We didn’t need our shots.”
        I stood there rubbing my shoulder looking down at the massive beast lying below me on the bank. I couldn’t believe it. I had actually killed it myself.
        “We will have to go down and make sure it is dead Mike,” explained Joseph. “Be careful just in case. When we get closer we’ll put another couple more rounds into him just to make sure. You girls stay up here.”
        The boys started down the hill while I stood there watching. My shoulder was hurting like mad.
        “Oh Shanti,” a voice said behind me. “That was so exciting thing to be seeing.”
        I looked around at Lizamoa. She was smiling at me.
        “I did not know you could do the hunting. You did not tell us this thing.”
        “Yes, Mike and I go goat and rabbit hunting on his uncle’s farm. It’s a lot of fun and gets rid of pests at the same time,” I replied.
        “And Joseph said it was your shot too. You killed it, Shanti!” Then as she saw me rubbing my shoulder a look of concern came over her face. “Shanti, are you alright?”
        “Yes, I think so. It was just the recoil. I am not used to guns that large..... I normally use a 22. It’s just a bit sore. Might have a bruise after this”
        Suddenly two more shots rang out. We could see the boys standing beside the massive body.
        “Come on down, Shanti,” Mike called. “You should see how big this thing is. It’s massive”
        We went down to join the boys. Looking down at this beast another shudder went through me as I imagined that animal grabbing a person. They would have no chance.
        I stood beside it for a photo and then I sat on its back just behind the shoulders with Mike and Joseph standing on either side while Lizamoa took some photos of us.
        We wanted to take a photo of Lizamoa beside the crocodile since she was in on the hunting but she wasn’t going anywhere near that dead body.

        Back at the van, Mike told them, “Shanti took it out with her first shot.”
        “Really!” said Amita with surprise.
        “Yes,” agreed Joseph. “It was Shanti who killed it.” And then looking across at me he shook his head as he added. “Shanti, my dear Shanti, you never stop giving me surprises. Maybe I am thinking you should be a man.”
        So I know this is not a sexy story but I had to include it. Anyway, Mike says there is something sexy about a girl who can hunt.

        We drove back to the picnic ground and got out for a picnic. We found one of the tables which hadn’t been damaged and spread out the food. We lay out a large sheet on the ground to sit on and keep away any bugs.
        We enjoyed our picnic meal together, washed down with some bottles of wine. I am surprised just how good some of this Indian wine is, and Joseph, you said it was fairly cheap too.
        During the meal, some of those in our party were a bit quiet and I began to think that seeing the crocodile being killed might not have been a good idea. I think it may have been a bit upsetting for them to see something killed like that. Maybe we should have left the van at the picnic ground instead of parking it where they could watch.
        After the meal, Mike asked what we were going to do. I wasn’t too keen on staying because Joseph had said that we still could not go swimming until he could be sure there wasn’t another crocodile in the lake. So with the swimming cut out, there wasn’t so much interest for me to stay.
        Sarvesh then suggested that we go back into town. Maybe either we go to Joseph and Lizamoa’s place or we could go to his house and use the pool there. This was what we finally decided to do.

        Joseph made a call on his phone and soon a Reserve Park truck arrived with some guys on the back. We left our party in the picnic area and got in the back of the truck. I think at first the men on the truck were wondering why a woman was getting involved in this crocodile business until Joseph told them that I was the one who had shot it. Then they were all very impressed, nodding and smiling and reaching over to shake my hand.
        Of course, most of them couldn’t speak English too well and because of my speech problem that was the only language, I had ever bothered learning. What words in my mother tongue I did know were useless here anyway since my family originally came from another state in North India.
        We found the crocodile exactly where we had left it but already some other smaller animals were beginning to hang around looking for a free meal. I stood beside it and also sat on it, holding the gun while Mike took a few more photos. It was a job to drag that large body up to the road and get it onto the truck but finally, they managed it.
        On the way past the picnic area, we found the others were packed and ready to go. They followed us but I stayed on the back of the truck with Mike while Joseph got off to drive the van.
        During the ride back one of the park rangers who gave his name as Mootie was talking with Mike and me about New Zealand. He was also interested in me being able to use a gun. Mike explained that we both hunt in New Zealand.
        At the park headquarters, we parked around the back away from the public. But word had got out about our hunting and very quickly a crowd had gathered. That is one thing about India, there always seem to be lots of people around. A large team quickly lifted the body off the truck and laid it on a large table under some shade.
        Word had quickly spread around that I was the hunter and many people were looking at me smiling, particularly the women. Some even came up and shook my hand. I bet they were wondering about me as although I looked like an Indian, I was dressed differently, wearing a shirt, shorts and a man's hat. I talked differently too.
        Steve and Peter came over to have a good look and we opened the mouth to check out the teeth. We took some more photos. Many of them included me as well. I think one of the best is of Lizamoa and Joseph standing on either side of the crocodile holding its mouth open while I was sitting on its head. (Yes she had finally plucked up enough courage to get near to it.)
        When Rosemary the vet noticed me rubbing my shoulder she asked me what was wrong. When I told her it was the recoil she said she was not a human doctor but would be happy to take a look at it.
        We went into the vet’s room and I took off my shirt. Even with my darker skin, you could already see the bruising. It was sore and really hurt when she touched it. She felt my shoulder and confirmed there appeared to be nothing broken just badly bruised. She gave me something for the pain and told me it would be sore for a few days.
        Rosemary was then preparing, with the help of some of the workers, to start opening up the stomach as she wanted to see what it had been eating. There was no way I was hanging around for that. I heard later that they found the remains of three different animals inside. Joseph also told me that they were then planning to preserve and stuff the body so it could be put on display in the visitor centre. He said they would also be placing a photo of me there standing beside the body too.
        Mike suggested one of me sitting on its back might be better and Joseph said he’d have a look at the photos later and see. (That is a yes actually, but we all know Joseph has to be the boss and have the final say.)
        We went back to Joseph’s house to pick up some gear including the photo albums and the letter’s book and then headed up to Amita and Sarvesh’s house.
        The story of what happened that evening will be included later in my next letter.

        The next morning Lizamoa came running in with the newspaper before Mike and I had even got out of bed. There on the front page was a bold headline “New Zealand Girl Kills Crocodile” with a photo of me sitting on the crocodile holding the gun. It seems it was becoming big news in the town. I think it was more news that a woman had shot it rather than just the animal had been killed.
        Later in the day, I went into town with Joseph because my shoulder was still very sore and we decided to go to see about it. When we arrived at the small hospital/clinic the doctors took a quick look and decided to get an X-ray. They quickly confirmed Rosemary’s opinion that there was nothing more than bad bruising. When we went to pay they said no there was no charge because of what I had done for the Game Reserve. It was then that I noticed the newspaper on the desk.
        Later in the evening, we went out for a meal at a small restaurant. During the meal, I noticed some people looking at me. Later when we came to pay for the meal again they told us there was no charge for my meal. It seemed that suddenly, in that small town, I had become famous.
        Joseph and Liz I am going to end this letter now as I am not feeling too good. I think the baby might be coming.

Hi Joseph and Lizamoa, it's Mike now.
        Shanti had to stop writing. She called her mum who was spending each day at our house while I was at work. Her mum rushed her to the hospital and they made it just in time. Her mum had rung me and I just arrived as things were starting to happen. Our daughter was born a short time later.
        Shanti says, “See part two for the sexy stories. She’ll finish her letter when she gets home from the hospital.”

                Lots of Love,
                        Shanti and Mike.

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