How A Normal Day With The Garo Elephant Poachers Turned Into A Nightmare

on front feet 4 on the back (rarely 5)

Large ears in shape of Africa vs small ears shaped like India. African ears are much bigger and reach up and over the neck, which d

African elephants have fuller, more rounded heads. The top of the head is a single dome whereas Asian elephants have a twin-domed head with an indent in the middle.

African elephants’ skin is more wrinkled

The African elephant’s trunk is visibly more heavily ringed and is not as hard as the Asian trunk.

The trunk tip is a major difference between the species. The African trunk has two distinct fingers which it uses to pick up and manipulate objects. The Asian elephant has only one ‘finger’. The Asian compensates for this by holding objects against the underside of the trunk and appears not to suffer from any lack of man

mark-hunter said:

Dear mr Rahman,
Thank you for this appaling real-life report!

I have a question, did clients ask for hunting crocs?

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Mark Hunter
Thank you so much for your kind words.
Yes , clients would frequently book Shikars for hunting crocodiles in Darjeeling. I will relate such an account as well . If that would interest you ?

Kawshik Rahman said:

If that would interest you ?

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Dear Sir,
Absolutely!

I am sure it will be of interest, to other members of forum!
Thank you so much, in advance!

IvW said:

Never seen or heard of that as these have all the markings of being African elephants pictured. Even to the fingers on the trunk tip, large ears, single domed head, very strange....

No there are tusk less females refereed to the bitches of the bush and they are more aggressive than there tusked counter parts.

You also occasionally find tusk less bulls.

I have never encountered a tusk less matriarch in my time, though...

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Usually IvW and Mr. Rahman , you guys provide clarity to my confusions , but today l finally found something to help you guys with

When l was last in Darjeeling and Shiliguri , l was told by our guide that some of these big boys ( and gals ) were
brought into Shiliguri in the late '30s by some British dudes ( probably illegally but he didn't say ) . I have no doubt that IvW is right . In all probability , these brutes must have been brought from Africa ...
Only to fall to a muzzle loader from a tribal poacher
It's amazing how you guys can identify ban elephant just by looking at their heads. I wouldn't know until the guide told me

K. Jumping in.

This is fantastic stuff. Yes, movie caliber tales of real life drama.

Mo

Mort Hill said:

This is fantastic stuff. Yes, movie caliber tales of real life drama.

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Mort Hill
Thank you so much for your kind words

Hoss Delgado said:

Usually IvW and Mr. Rahman , you guys provide clarity to my confusions , but today l finally found something to help you guys with
View attachment 309584
When l was last in Darjeeling and Shiliguri , l was told by our guide that some of these big boys ( and gals ) were
brought into Shiliguri in the late '30s by some British dudes ( probably illegally but he didn't say ) . I have no doubt that IvW is right . In all probability , these brutes must have been brought from Africa ...
Only to fall to a muzzle loader from a tribal poacher
It's amazing how you guys can identify ban elephant just by looking at their heads. I wouldn't know until the guide told me

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Hoss Delgado
Thank you so much for the explanation. Yes , Shiliguri is very close to Darjeeling.

Thank you for another great report from your youth. The croc looks massive. Do people eat croc meat? How does it taste? I am interested in how the Hindu religion affects attitudes towards hunting and eating meat. Were the tribes people and yourself Hindus? Are there a variety of views concerning this subject within the religion? Thank you in advance for your helping me understand how our world views influence and shape all aspects of our lives.

gesch said:

Thank you in advance for your helping me understand how our world views influence and shape all aspects of our lives

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I am frequently travelling intercontinental flights to the east, and work with Indian workers.
So, untill mr Rahman replies, I can offer my own observation.
In most cases, I am offered a choice of politically correct food: either chicken or lamb, so nobody on the flight or in work place will find himself offended.

Usually, one of those two options will be offered with some sort of curry, which I do not preffer.
So, for me its like flipping the coin what I will get.

Rice will be a side dish in most of the cases.

At home, I stopped eating chicken. Being at work (drilling rig) with total of 6 months per year, in monthly shifts, and with better part of chicken being on daily menu, it is more then enough for me.

G

gesch said:

Thank you for another great report from your youth. The croc looks massive. Do people eat croc meat? How does it taste? I am interested in how the Hindu religion affects attitudes towards hunting and eating meat. Were the tribes people and yourself Hindus? Are there a variety of views concerning this subject within the religion? Thank you in advance for your helping me understand how our world views influence and shape all aspects of our lives.

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Gesch
Thank you for your kind appreciation. I am Muslim ( albeit , definitely not the foolish conservative type which has sadly come to represent us these days , in this world ). Hunting is permitted in our religion and we can eat hunted meat , provided that we kill the animal swiftly and we cut the throat of the animal after shooting it , either while it is dying , or as soon as possible and drain it of blood . We can eat any animal except pork , but l have hunted boars and cooked pork for many of my wonderful non Muslim friends since childhood ( l still do ) .
The Garo people follow their own tribal religion and they will eat anything without hesitation. Hindus have different castes. All of them abstain from eating beef , because they view cattle as sacred. Some love hunting and will eat all other meat , except beef . They will eat buffalo because they do not consider them cows.
It was this kind with whom l had made friends and with whom l would hunt.
However , there are many who are foolish vegetarians and hate hunting. They are ridiculous in their beliefs and some will even drink cow urine .
Sadly, after 1972 , it was this kind of so called intellectuals who ended up controlling India , causing people like us to move to Bangladesh. To be very honest , l find their beliefs fairly complex. They will not eat beef , because they view cows as sacred , but they will wear leather shoes and clothes and accessories.
The fortunate thing about Bangladesh , is that due to the large amount of Muslims in the country ( who view eating meat as a standard part of our lives and love venison and wild birds ) , majority of our people have a very positive outlook on hunting . People in Bangladesh are either supportive of hunting or they are indifferent to it , which is very fortunate for us , as we do not have to worry about media trying to demonize us. At the same time , it is a secular country which does not follow Shariah law , which pleases me , as all religious festivals from all religions are celebrated here : Eid , Christmas , Hindu Pooja , and the like. My niece's boyfriend , Daniel who is a Protestant , comes to spend one Christmas with us here in Bangladesh every alternate year. Fortunately our current government is fully in support of the secular way of life here and people are happy with it , too.
In my next account , l shall be telling the story of a very close friend of mine who has killed 81 panthers ( which we call Chita Baagh , in Bangladesh ) and is treated in a very positive light by Bangladesh news papers and media who praise him heavily.

Were there any wild buffalo around when you were hunting, Mr Rahman? And what about sambar deer and chital deer?

BenKK said:

Were there any wild buffalo around when you were hunting, Mr Rahman? And what about sambar deer and chital deer?

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BenKK
Oh , yes many. They are called Gaur Bison and in fact , l have given two accounts here involving us hunting them. One is called " The Gaur Shikar which went very terribly wrong ". The other is called " A double barrel rifle , a Gaur and a very unpleasant surprise ". Karim and l used to personally hunt Gaur as well for our families . The flesh of Gaur , l find , is delicious and their anatomy is quite similar to beef . Their taste is much like coarse beef , but if thinly sliced , is excellent. One of my favorite dishes to make from Gaur was a steak cut from the rib of the animal ( equivalent to a beef ribs eye steak ) , which was seasoned with coarse salt and grilled to a medium
doneness on an open flame ( while l enjoy beef steaks rare , l find that Gaur steak should be cooked to medium doneness to account for it's coarse texture )
I annually hunt Sambhar deer and other deer in Bangladesh , every year. I find them delicious and have kept some of the skins of the deer which l have shot , over the years . Even my niece and Daniel shoot them when they come to visit me during the season for hunting deer.

Thank you, Mr Rahman. The buffalo I am wondering about is this creature, the Indian water buffalo or Asiatic water buffalo, Bubalus bubalis:





I have enjoyed your stories about the mighty gaur, and I wish they roamed around here!

BenKK said:

Thank you, Mr Rahman. The buffalo I am wondering about is this creature, the Indian water buffalo or Asiatic water buffalo, Bubalus bubalis:

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I have enjoyed your stories about the mighty gaur, and I wish they roamed around here!

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BenKK
Unfortunately , these species would roam not in Darjeeling where l would hunt. They would roam in Uttar Pradesh and my friend , Karim hunted them . I have only hunted Gaur.

Did Karim tell you stories about them that you could share? I’d like to learn about what they’re like in India.

BenKK said:

Did Karim tell you stories about them that you could share? I’d like to learn about what they’re like in India.

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Ben KK
Why yes , he did. Perhaps the subject of a future article ?

Excellent! Thank you!

Mr. Rahman, Thank you for the excellent explanation of dietary rules for the major religions of your region. Once again I invite you for a visit to my home when you are in the USA! I would enjoy treating you to some of our excellent restaurants in my area (150 miles north of Chicago). My wife is also a fantastic cook! I appreciate the pleasant way you communicate—you are always so respectful. We can learn a lot from you! Thanks again.

gesch said:

Mr. Rahman, Thank you for the excellent explanation of dietary rules for the major religions of your region. Once again I invite you for a visit to my home when you are in the USA! I would enjoy treating you to some of our excellent restaurants in my area (150 miles north of Chicago). My wife is also a fantastic cook! I appreciate the pleasant way you communicate—you are always so respectful. We can learn a lot from you! Thanks again.

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Gesch
You are a very kind and appreciative person . I forgot to tell you what crocodile meat tastes like. It is very lean and lends itself to marinating. It is surprisingly tender as look as it is quickly cooked. And l will only accept a treat if l am allowed to treat you and your wonderful family at a restaurant the day before .

Wyatt Smith said:

I have a friend who owns a knife made of Volkswagen leaf spring. It looks like a prop from “Crocodile Dundee”

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Wyatt Smith
The non folding knife on the right is what l use during hunting now. For normal daily carry , l alternate between my Imperial pocket knife and my South African Okapi clasp knife.