Conclusion

This chapter endeavours to bring the three mega mammals within the same frame in the light of the evidence examined in the preceding chapters. Drawing upon imageries of conflict and coexistence with the faunal world, it sums up their individual stories, which are largely dominated by aspects of their interactions with human cultures whose perceptions have been crucial in determining their fortunes. It also examines the implications the histories of these big mammals have for the cultural and ecological moorings of ancient India in the millennia surveyed.