Sloth bear of Mysore

The Sloth bear of Mysore was an unusually aggressive Indian sloth bear responsible for the deaths of at least 12 people and the mauling of two dozen others in 1957. It was killed by Kenneth Anderson, who described it in his memoirs Man-Eaters and Jungle Killers:

“[Sloth] Bears, as a rule, are excitable but generally harmless creatures. This particular bear carried the mark of Cain, in that he had become the wanton and deliberate murderer of several men, whom he had done death in most terrible fashion, without provocation”

The reasons given to explain the Mysore sloth bear’s unusual behaviour varied. Some of the natives within the bear’s killing range thought that the bear was a sow taking revenge on humanity after her cubs were stolen. Others thought that it was a male which had previously abducted a young girl as its mate, only to have her rescued by the villagers, thus inciting the bear’s anger. Kenneth Anderson believed that the bear had previously been injured by humans and altered its behaviour accordingly.

The bear began its attacks in the Nagvara Hills, east to the town of Arsikere, 105 miles north-west of Bangalore in Mysore State. It made its home in the numerous boulder strewn hillocks, from where it would come down to forage in the fields. As its boldness increased, it began harassing people in both daylight and night-time hours.

In typical sloth bear fashion, the animal attacked its victims' faces with its claws and teeth. Those who survived its attacks usually lost one or both eyes, some their noses while others had their cheeks bitten through. Those who died often had their faces completely torn from their heads. At least three of the victims had been partially eaten.

The bear’s depredations first came to the attention of Kenneth Anderson when an aged Muslim friend of his named Alam Bux sent him a postcard, urgently asking him to come to his home, a shrine situated between Arsikere and Shimoga. Bux’s 22-year-old son had been fatally mauled by the bear at 9:00 p.m., having unintentionally disturbed it while it was feeding on fallen figs.

Anticipating an easy hunt, Anderson did not come prepared for a long trip, having brought with him for the hunt just an electric torch, a .405 Winchester rifle, and a single change of clothes. Arriving at the shrine early in the evening, Anderson planned to wait until darkness to shoot the bear. Starting his search near fig trees, Anderson walked for a mile and a half without spotting the bear. He then unsuccessfully searched groundnut fields before finally returning to the shrine. For the rest of the night, Anderson made two subsequent tours, both of which proved unsuccessful. At noon the next day, Anderson was taken to the mouth of what was thought to be the bear's cave. After throwing stones into the crevice with no results, Anderson returned to Bangalore, asking Bux to inform him by telegram should the bear attack again.

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