Report in Chandrika Daily on 26Sep2014.

The Report says that Wildlife Expert Dijo Thomas stated that the " 'Leopeard' repeatedy seen in Neyyar dam was NOT a Leopeard at all; but an animal called 'Patti Kaduva' [Dog Tiger], which is still unknown to Forest department. He also stated that it will look like a Leopeard [at first sight] & is (reddish) brown in color. It is seen in Kerala & Karnataka forests. It won't attack Human beings."

'Patti Kaduva' is the Colloequial name of Neelagiri Kaduva.

27 Sep 2014: I went for night petrol with RRT [Rapid Response Team of Forest Department].

29 Sep 2014: Hunting by Day & Night - not to kill, but to Save:

I decided to start tracking by myself. From 10 am to 2.30 am next day [16.30 hrs at a stretch] am next day I was out in the field..

As all local grown-ups were 'engaged', two gentlemen, 7 & 8 th class students Ananthu & Aditya comes with me to guide me in tracing its roue & seek out likely hiding places. Hats off to those brave ones. [Later will elaborate on it as now i have a lot to type]

In the evening I grouped 6 local youth into a search party. We started patroling by 9 pm. We searched the rubber plantations, hills, Kavu etc.

Around 10.30 pm we heard a growling noise from 60 meters away, amoung the houses & small fields. I told others to stay put, switch off torch & to be very quiet.

I alone started to place from where the growling noise was comming, my torch off, with only very pale twilight as my guide. I could hardly see. I finally reached the place near the growling noise. Suddenly a dog began to bark. I suddenly shone my torch to the place from where growling noise was comming, it was behind dense bushes after a fence, by the side of the house. A few more minutes it continued. I immediately reached near the bushes, but by that time it escaped. I didn't even get a glance.

Finally we reached the road around 11.15 pm & took rest in front of a shop, a likely area the Patti Kaduva may move after my near miss. We sat planning our next move.

Suddenly, around 11.45 pm, around 100 meters away, we saw a group of 7 dogs moving silently, comming through the road. They were in a tight group.
This is the typical nature of dogs, when something that eats them arrives, like Leopard arrives. I told the 6 persons with me, to be quiet & alert, as the Patti Kaduva has arrived, & may come after the dogs. We all waited silently, holding our breath. My main hope was that, if it came after the dogs, we will able to clearly see it as well as photograph it. One of us went by bike to the spot t reconnoiter, but reported that there was nothing.
10 mins later there was a loud whining noise by a dog & a sound like something hitting a metal gate filled the night air. I & anther person suggested that we reach there immediately, but some of them vigorously opposed it. I thought that there was some local issue for them to oppose me going there. 10 mins later there was loud voices comming from that direction. After 5 mins of debate, we took the decision to move. When we reached the spot, an attack by Patti Kaduva had taken place, just 100-125 mrs away from where we sat.... and we missed it.

Three persons in the house, husband, wife & daughter saw the attack very clearly, in the light of bulbs. Around 11.45 pm, mother Patti Kaduva killed a cat, while the cub attacked a dog.

Here the mother Patti Kaduva attacked & killed a cat, while a smaller one, different in color, probably its cub, attacked an ordinary adult dog, which we saw from a distance, howling & escaping for its dear life.
[Later will elaborate on it as now i have a lot to type]

I went alone after the raiders, but even after 30 mins didn't get a lead.

Then I along with local youth took off in bikes to likely areas & searched for another 1.30 hours. No result.

2 Oct 2014: Very sad day - the Second Cub of Neelagiri Kaduva was Killed..

According to Forest personal, more than 30 persons attacked the Neelagiri Kaduva [Patti kaduva]. Mother NeelagiriKaduva luckly escapes with only a hit from a pot & some beatings. But its Cub, the size of a small dog, having the face of a dog, was attacked by the mob & killed in "accident" at 9.30am. I was near Kattakkada at that time, trying to get help for a road (bike) accident victim with head injury, so I was not able to save it.

3 Oct 2014: Dr. Jacob Alexander who had done the Postmortem claims that the dog killed the previous day was a Feral Dog [Feral dog are domestic dogs living as wild animals] half wild & in forest. The forest department concludes that the attacks were by Feral Dog & closes the case as attacks by a wild dog.

Then onwards Mr. Dijo Thomas started his Fight to conserve Neelagiri Kaduva. He Scientifically proved it through F3B-NSPM method & Presentd 2 Scientific Papers in 2 Indian Science Congress. He Discovered it in 10 places in 3 States of India.

He also Travels around various states creating awareness about Neelagiri Kaduva, the need to conserve it etc.

He also educates people on Climate Change, the Importance of Forests & Wildlife & the Urgent need to conserve the Nature.

[In 2018, I again met Dr. Jacob Alexander & explained the Scientific proof & latest developments. He then told me tat, he is ready to reconsider his earlier conclutions. He told me that he will study my findings & Scientific proofs, & if he finds that it is correct , he will support the conservation of Neelagiri Kaduva.]

I had always harbored a romantic notion of still undiscovered large cats the size of Leopards, when I was a schoolboy. I had therefore, even in my college days, while secretly cutting classes & visiting Forest areas, asked locals people about any rare & not known animals living there.

Thats how I first heard about Patti Kaduva 20 years before near Adivaram near Vagamon. Later I heard about them in Idukki, Thattekad, Wayanad etc. from local people {Not Adivasis} all around 100 years back. The most recent sighting was near Subramanya near Mangalore 30 years before, I was told around 10 years back.

You cannot image that unrelated persons in far off places, as far as 500 Kms away, who gave the same description about Patti Kaduva, were part of a big conspiracy just to fool me. The description by these persons at far away places were the same. This proves without any doubt that Patti Kaduva really existed in our forests 100 years before.

All these persons, who told me about Patti Kaduva except in Mangalore, were 70 – 80 years old. They themselves had not seen it. Their parents or grandparents had seen this animal & told them the details and stories about this rare animal. The most common name, for this animal is Patti Kaduva [Patti = dog … Kaduva = Tiger], but it also has two other names – Naai Puli [Naai = dog … Puli = Leopard] & Patti Puli.

However, from the description, I was not able to ascertain two facts about Patti Kaduva - the exact nature of designs on its body & the description of its tail.
This was partly due to the fact that (a) all the persons except in Mangalore were stating the description that there fathers or grandparents gave them. (b) As usually the attacks had taken place during night, during olden days there were no good Torches. (c) The minute features may be overlooked by ordinary people in their excitement.