Although Marak is not certain whether the beast sighted by his son was just a large monkey or the fabled Mande Burung, he is convinced that the jungle man exists. “The creature disappeared after its mate was booby-trapped and killed by Bachok Sangma. I wanted to take a picture but Bachok had already eaten it and sold the skin.”

When questioned about this, Meghalaya Principal Chief Conservator of Forests V K Nautiyal found it difficult to conceal his impatience. “In 1988 I was the Conservator of Forest (Wildlife) and frequently travelled to Garo Hills. Then how is it that I was not aware if somebody trapped a Mande Burung?” He adds that Bachok might have trapped a tailless hoolock gibbon and mistaken it for the jungle man. “Nobody has come with any credible proof or information, and in the absence of any scientific evidence, the Mande Burung rightfully belongs to Garo folklore and mythology,” he insists.

What many reporters covering the Mande Burung story seem to have overlooked is the fact that in 1982 the Meghalaya government had entrusted the task of finding out whether the jungle man really existed to the then chief conservator of forest P C Gogoi. Upon completing his investigation, Gogoi submitted a report that stated that there is no indication of a jungle man running wild here.

Not that this has dampened public interest in the story, which has fascinated locals and foreigners alike for decades, especially with ‘eyewitness’ accounts popping up at regular intervals. According to Nautiyal, the story sustains itself on clever gimmickry. “It’s an interesting story that the print and electronic media finds will sell,” he says. “It also provides Garo Hills a mysterious aura. It makes it sound like an unexplored territory and that, of course, is inviting to the outside world.”

... contd.