Mundrika to the rescue

The cobra lay coiled around the branch of the sturdy sagwan (teak) tree. It would not budge despite fervent attempts by the residents of Ratti Tola village.

After five hours, the hapless villagers finally called Mundrika Yadav, once a guard at the nearby Valmiki Tiger Reserve. He has rescued more than 200 animals including tigers, leopards, rhinoceros, and snakes.

When Mundrika arrived he first tried to get the cobra to descend, which it did. “I put a bamboo stick in its mouth and tightened the rope. Then I put it in a sack and released it back into the forest,” says the 42-year-old. “It took me just 20-25 minutes.”

The tiger reserve in Bihar’s West Champaran district, covers nearly 900 square kilometres, and is home to 54 tigers, besides a host of other wildlife. “Hum spot par hi turant jugaad bana lete hain [I can innovate on the spot],” says Mundrika about his rescue tactics.

Mundrika, who belongs to the Yadav community (listed as Other Backward Classes in the state) grew up in close proximity to the forest and its animals. “When I used to take the buffaloes to graze in the forest, I would often catch snakes. From that time, I developed an affection for wildlife. So, when the physical examination for a forest guard was held in 2012, I applied and got the job,” says the resident of Vijaypur village. He lives here with his wife and daughter.

“The map of the entire reserve is in our eyes. You blindfold us and leave us in the forest, and you get out in a car, we will come out of the forest before you,” says the former vanrakshi (forest guard).

Mundrika worked as a forest guard for the next eight years, hanging on despite his monthly salary being routinely delayed by up to a year. “Protecting forests and animals is a passion for me,” he tells PARI.

In 2020, the Bihar government appointed a new set of forest guards through open recruitment. The earlier set of guards like Yadav were given other jobs – he now drives the vehicles of the VTR. “We have been sidelined,” he says, unhappy about his new position. Mundrika was not eligible to sit for the new examination because of his age, and his education qualifications – he has passed his matriculation – not sufficient for the post of a guard.

When the situation is dangerous and critical, the new forest guards reach out to Mundrika. “The forest guards appointed through examinations may have a degree, but they do not have practical knowledge,” he says. “We were born in the forest and learned to rescue animals by living with them.”