Lost Children of the Wild

Scared, unsure, and roaming aimlessly through the farms- is how the Bihar Forest Department found a Spotted deer fawn on a cold winter morning cornered and surrounded by villagers from all sides.

This was soon after an anonymous tip reached them through the locals that a deer was being chased around the fields by a group of kids. In trying to lure predators away from their young ones, it is instinctive for a deer to hide her children within thick bushes- allowing herself to be the target that misleads a prowling big cat, only to return and take them away, eventually if successful in fooling the stalker.

But here, unfortunately, even before the suspense of the mother’s return could be revealed to the abandoned fawn, a group of kids on their way to school caught sight of him- sitting confused underneath a thicket of bushes. In their crude mannerisms of wanting to show affection to the lost being, the kids crowded around the fawn to keep a watch until the mother returned. But this only troubled him enough to abandon his spot, trying to wander away from this new group of stalkers- the children. Eventually getting lost in the man-made maze of huts, roads, drains, and farmlands.

As the forest guards in jeeps rolled into the farm, the heads in the crowd turned, and slowly the hubbub dissipated, feet quickly shuffling away- no one least interested in staying around lest they be held up for questioning regarding the lost one. The dissipating crowd, slowly paved a path for my eyes to look and follow the object of interest that had held their attention for so long- a meek, dull brown figure cowering into a haystack, eyes continuously darting in anxious awareness of the pulsating mass of people around.

The vehicles were stopped far away to avoid further restlessness to the fawn, and within minutes the guards had formed a barricade around it- standing in between the crowd and the animal, while the veterinary doctor slowly walked over to the fawn, breaking his walk into a slow squatted crawl and then quickly throwing a green muslin cloth on its eyes to start the procedure of its rescue.

By the time, the cloth was taken off- the world for this lost child had changed. A huge sprawling garden, pattern-marked by tall eucalyptus, sal, and palm trees, and dotted with age-old white cottages. The new home was Bihar Forest Department’s most remote and secure forest rest house, on the eastern border of the tiger reserve, with sal trees surrounding the thinly lined boundary from all sides, looming above the wall- forming a convergence of fauna that made it seem as if nature grew around this place to hide this British-era rest house from the rest of the world.

Two days later, another tip from one of the nearby villages, saw the same team of forest guards reach a sugarcane field where another deer fawn was found sitting at the far end of the field, trying his full well to hide behind the pile of leaves gathered and piled up in the farthest corner of the field, post recent harvesting. This one, too, seemed lost and abandoned!

As per the tip received, a villager had kidnapped this fawn to keep as a pet and had been sheltering this one for a few weeks until the moment the illegitimate caretaker found out about the forest guards reaching the village, they abandoned the fawn in the middle of the field to avoid being caught by the department and was long gone before the rescue team reached.

Now, happenstance, there were two lost Spotted deer fawns in the temporary care of the forest department, and I perchance had the opportunity to see them live out their initial days of adjusting to this new environment. And, for the sake of this rather long story that lies ahead, let’s call our first fawn Jungli and the other one Shehri! Why? Hope you realize it by the end of this tale.

Now, for both Jungli and Shehri these confines of the forest rest house were to be their ‘home’ until a proper plan of rehabilitation could be charted out for them. And, even though the rest house opened into a humongous garden- sprawling with wild grasses, dense bushes, and native trees, and they were in the care of dedicated foresters who readjusted their ways of living around these fawns, yet, somehow it was not enough. The entire day was for them to roam freely in the gardens, away from the fear of any predator or prying eyes of humans- yet, no amount of freedom and security within these boundaries would ever compare to the one they were used to enjoying within the comfort of their herd within the truly limitless sal forests of the tiger reserve.

Resultantly, these sudden shifts to new habitats- from jungle to village to the forest rest house- coupled with the lack of a required social structure were beginning to reflect in their behaviors. Both initially refrained from exploring the dense undergrowth or the farthest reaches of the gardens and would limit their activity to a rather small spot under a ginormous sal tree that got both shade and sunlight as the day progressed. Jungli and Shehri had just met and were probably from completely different herds, but they soon found comfort in each other’s company.

Shehri being more inquisitive by nature, would often trot out of their imaginary circle of comfort, trying to follow the smell of the fresh wildly growing grasses- allowing his curious little nose to lead him to the unexplored areas not caring for what those vigilant eyes saw. This way, he showed early signs of trusting the people and the environment. And, considering the fact that he had spent a couple of weeks with another human in close quarters, he was more or less used to having people around him. Whereas, Jungli would hold back for a little while and then eventually catch up to his rather adventurous playmate, while being absolutely sure of his surroundings, ears twitching in all directions aware of each and every noise being made in his environment- ever ready to run and hide in the bush at the first sight of danger!

In those moments, somehow they reminded me of a younger me who had just joined a new school in the first division. And, while adapting to that change took its own time, I still faintly remember how it surely became easier because of a friend I eventually found in my deskmate. Exploring long empty hallways, climbing the rickety and spiraling staircase to the defunct green room above the auditorium which was rumored to be haunted, and eventually wandering out to places that were ‘out of bounds’ but were still a part of the school campus- all was done together. Each recess seemed like a new day to explore an unknown part of the school. Slowly maturing to the newer grounds, slowly expanding our reach with each passing day.

A slight nudge to my knee, made me break away from a nostalgic trip to school days- Shehri had figured I was sitting alone and had trotted over to play with me. The very act of coming over showed a certain degree of being forthcoming that started developing in him. Subtle differences in their environment had started shaping both of their animal behaviors.

For, Shehri who had stayed long enough around humans to get used to their scent and presence, it was getting increasingly easy for him to substitute his usual playmates from the herd with us. He showed more openness in being approached by forest guards to be fed and would also let them know with continued nudging in the shins and knees that he was hungry.

Whereas, for Jungli, his instinct of being a natural resident of the wild, still lingered around him. Having gotten separated from his mother quite recently, implied he was still adjusting to his surroundings, continuously deploying new coping mechanisms within this new space. Once out in the sun, Jungli would run for the nearest bush and hide under it- wary of everyone that didn't resemble his brethren. No amount of sweet cajoling could bring him out, that is until Shehri who would be tired of running around alone, came and nudged him out of the bush. In those moments, it felt as if they were slowly learning to cohabit together- preparing for a future where they might not return to their herds and homes. While one found a restless playmate in the other, the companionship between the two was slowly filling the void that was recently created. Avoiding the food given by the foresters, Jungli would frequently walk up to Shehri and bend down to search for udders under the belly- trying at least twice to catch something in the air with her mouth before giving up. For him, that’s where hunger was supposed to be dealt with.

Through the night, as the cold winds billowed through the cottage in which both were housed- it would be Jungli who would quickly bury his snout under Shehri’s neck, seeking warmth and safety, while the ease with which other slept showed he was simply content having someone around who smelled and looked like him. The nights even though cold promised warmth and the days were devoid of forced solitude. A feeling of being abandoned was slowly getting lost, as commonalities made space for care.

I, eventually left the rest house to traverse a path back home, leaving with the knowledge that Jungli and Shehri had each other’s back. On the path to finding a home within each other- two lost children of the wild.

This short story was published in the book Stories of India : Volume 4 published in print and digital by Ukiyoto Publications in 2022.

Lost Children of the Wild