Living With Leopards: Taking Forward Corbett’s Legacy

[sambarhunter]

Interesting Indian Leopard article.
There are still many deaths by leopard today.
Im sure that the "Corbett of Camolli" would have some great stories to tell.

Living with leopards: taking forward Corbett's legacy

Human-leopard interactions that once dominated Uttarakhand's landscape during Jim Corbett's time in the 1900s continues to be a reality even today.

india.mongabay.com

 

[Major Khan]

That is correct . There are thousands of man eating forest panthers ( What you American gentle men refer to , as “ Leopard “ ) in India and the Northern parts of Bangladesh . We refer to them , as “ Chita Baagh “ . In Bangladesh , we are only allowed to shoot forest panthers ... Once they have been declared “ Man Eaters “ by the local forest department . Before 1972 , when I used to live in India ... I shot 20 forest panthers , not counting the 1s which I had to follow up after they had been wounded by my clients . I have even shot 3 forest panthers on 1 night .

I shot this particular brute on this February , at night ... On foot and over torch light . He took a 1 ounce spherical ball of hardened lead in the region , right between the 2 eyes . Range was around 21 feet .

 

[WebleyGreene455]

View attachment 359430
That is correct . There are thousands of man eating forest panthers ( What you American gentle men refer to , as “ Leopard “ ) in India and the Northern parts of Bangladesh . We refer to them , as “ Chita Baagh “ . In Bangladesh , we are only allowed to shoot forest panthers ... Once they have been declared “ Man Eaters “ by the local forest department . Before 1972 , when I used to live in India ... I shot 20 forest panthers , not counting the 1s which I had to follow up after they had been wounded by my clients . I have even shot 3 forest panthers on 1 night .

I shot this particular brute on this February , at night ... On foot and over torch light . He took a 1 ounce spherical ball of hardened lead in the region , right between the 2 eyes . Range was around 21 feet .

On the one hand, Major, it's a pity that the leopards need to be killed at all. The world may be a poorer place without them at times, since there are that many fewer to take care of the deer and other prey species and so on until the ecosystem will ruin itself, especially with hunting now abolished.

On the other, it's a pity that people get attacked and killed by the animals and once one of them has tasted human flesh and gets a liking for it, the animal must die for the good of others. But I'm curious what villages could do, or did do, to keep the leopards away in the first place. Fences? Walls? Traps? Or did they just rely on someone with a gun to go out and dispatch the beast after it had already killed the livestock or, Woden forbid, a child and otherwise say "It's a panther, what are we to do about it?" Larger towns, I'm sure, had walls as much for defense against humans as beasts but if it were me, at least some kind of palisade a panther couldn't climb over, dig under, or slip through would be one of the first things built.

 

[mark-hunter]

What I understood, by reading many of Indian shikar articles on the forum (thanks to our Bangladesh members) official approach by Indian authorities is to dart the dangerous animal (panther or tiger), and relocate to another part of forest.

If / It dosnt work sometimes (darting, I mean), then shooting is only option, and relocating the animal, will give animal a chance to resume man eating habits in another village.
So, my impression that using non-lethal methods is politically correct, waste of resources.

Darting might be successful if the animal is placed in zoo, relocation is questionable method.

 

[Malambo]

I wonder if the behavior of the leopard (or "forest panther") is different than the tiger, reffering to man eating.

Perhaps relocating a leopard to a protected area that has more natural prey can make the more adaptive and resourceful cat that the leopard is, to stop to be a maneater.

I would appreciate if our kind fellow members from Bangladesh, could give us their vast knowledge on the subject.

I think that to cage, zoo and exhibit a man eater is morbid (no offense).

@sambar hunters thank you for sharing the article and to the AH members for the interesting comments

 

[Major Khan]

I apologize sincerely for the late response , @WebleyGreene455 , @mark-hunter and @Malambo . I am making preparations for an upcoming Chital Deer shikar . Let us now delve in to this topic. , in detail .

To start with . I would suggest all of you to take the words of Lakhawat Rawat Singh with a pinch of salt . He may have shot 50 man eating forest panthers and 2 man eating royal Bengal tigers . How ever , he is a strong supporter of the so called “ Wild Life Protection Act - 1972 “ which was enacted by the Indira Gandhi Regime ... To ban all hunting in India . In his mind , hunting for the pot or hunting for recreation are deplorable sins . He is vehemently opposed to the idea that hunting is an indispensable conservation tool . He is not a hunter . He is more akin to what African game departments refer to , as a “ Problem Animal Control “ officer .

Moving on , the hunting ban is directly responsible for an increasingly disconcerting number of man eating forest panthers and royal Bengal tigers to plague India . Prior to 1972 , there was no poaching in India . It was all licensed hunters . When ever we hunted Chital Deer and Nilgai ( The principal diet of the royal Bengal tiger) or Kakar Deer and Chinkara ( The principal diet of the forest panther ) ... We were adhering to well structured bag limits and never “ Over Hunted “ these animals . There were more than enough of these animals for the royal Bengal tiger or the forest panther to feed on , with out needing to turn to live stock or even ATTEMPTING to taste the flesh of man . Man eating royal Bengal tigers and forest panthers were relatively uncommon . After 1972 , poachers have COMPLETELY wiped these animals out ... To the point of decimation ( Using country bombs , snares , traps , bows & arrows and locally made “ Gaddar Bonduk “ muzzle loaders ) . As a result , royal Bengal tigers and forest panthers are forced to turn to live stock or human beings for food . We are talking about the royal Bengal tigers and forest panthers which , themselves are not slaughtered by poachers ( Mostly by using folidol ... But also by using snares , “ Gaddar Bonduk “ muzzle loaders , country bombs or bows with poison tipped arrows ) .

3rdly , Royal Bengal Tigers and forest panthers are becomingly increasingly aggressive and spiteful towards man . During our time , we were hunting these brutes with central fire rifles or shot guns ( Loaded with Lethal Ball cartridges or Contractile Ball cartridges ) . How ever , the Indira Gandhi Regime practical disarmed the Indian population . Poachers are thus , going after royal Bengal tigers and forest panthers with inadequate armaments. Locally made muzzle loaders , bows & poison tipped arrows , folidol , snares and traps are used . More often than not , the brutes escape wounded . And when this happens , they become man eaters . This aggression increases greatly as they find themselves no longer being able to hunt their natural food , and they develop an immense hatred for man . The worst of these , are forest panthers which manage to survive a folidol poisoning . Their nails drop out and their teeth fall off . They also lose a great deal of hair . They are left with no choice , but to feed on human beings .

4thly , the idea of building walls and fences to keep out man eating royal Bengal tigers or panthers works fine in theory . But only in theory . You can only wall up so many places . What about workers in crop fields ? What about honey collectors ? Wood cutters ? Farmers ? Tea Estate workers ? Finally , I do not know about the African leopard . But the Indian forest panther can climb EXTREMELY well . I have unfortunately experienced forest panthers springing up macchans and elephant howdahs in order to reach my clients , 1st hand . We are talking about 20 feet tall macchans , here . Scaling a 30 wall , is absolutely no problem ... For an Indian forest panther . Any body who questions my claim , can check countless videos available on the internet .

5thly , re locating a forest panther or a royal Bengal tiger is simply a manner of saying “ At least he is no longer our problem ! “ . Once a forest panther or a royal Bengal tiger has tasted even 1 drop of human blood ( YES , even 1 drop ) ... It develops an insatiable craving for the flesh of man . Human flesh is like opium for these brutes . They will COMPLETELY eschew all other forms of meat . A man eating royal Bengal tiger or a forest panther is willing to swim for several miles in order to find it’s next human “ Meal “ . It will never be able to satiate his cravings for the flesh of man , with other meats . It will not . That is a hard fact .


6thly , I have already listed all the reasons why a royal Bengal tiger or a forest panther becomes a man eater ... In my previous articles on African Hunting Forums . 1 is titled “ The Art Of Hunting The Forest Panther : A Comprehensive Guide “ . The other is titled “ The Art Of Hunting The Royal Bengal Tiger : A Comprehensive Guide “ . Allow me to add 1 more , which is particularly important under current world circumstances . We know that Hindus ( The religion followed by majority of the locals in India ) cremate their deceased , and scatter the ashes in to the Ganges River . This is only during normal circumstances . During times of mass death ( Such as war time or a disease epidemic . For instance : The current Chinese Virus fiasco ) , Hindus do not bother cremate the entire corpse ... If they need to dispose of multiple corpses . They simply place a live coal inside the mouth of the corpse and toss it in to the Ganges River . These corpses invariably wash up , on to the river banks of the Sundarban mangrove forests or the banks of the countless forests of West Bengal ( Such as a Maulvi Bazaar forest , in Bangladesh ) . When the royal Bengal tigers ( Which inhibit the Sundarban mangrove forests ) or the forest panthers ( Which inhibit West Bengal ) curiously approach these corpses and take a few bites out of them ... New man eaters are created . This is why , there are currently so many man eating forest panthers and royal Bengal tigers in India and Bangladesh ... During the time of this Chinese Virus fiasco .


7thly , it is possible to cage a man eating royal Bengal tiger or a forest panther and confine them to a zoo . Watch what happens , when you offer them any type of meat which is NOT human flesh . They shall not touch it . They shall lie down and starve themselves to death . Whether or not , this is less cruel than out right shooting them ... Depends up on every person’s individual morality .


Before I conclude , I would like to show all of you a photograph .

GRAPHIC CONTENT BELOW

GRAPHIC CONTENT ABOVE


This is the corpse of a wood cutter ( Or rather , what is left of him ) , who had been savaged to death by the man eating forest panther pictured below .

After his grisly demise , his widowed wife was forced to get his 15 year old daughter married off ... Just because the widow no longer was able to feed their 5 children .

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

View attachment 359430
That is correct . There are thousands of man eating forest panthers ( What you American gentle men refer to , as “ Leopard “ ) in India and the Northern parts of Bangladesh . We refer to them , as “ Chita Baagh “ . In Bangladesh , we are only allowed to shoot forest panthers ... Once they have been declared “ Man Eaters “ by the local forest department . Before 1972 , when I used to live in India ... I shot 20 forest panthers , not counting the 1s which I had to follow up after they had been wounded by my clients . I have even shot 3 forest panthers on 1 night .

I shot this particular brute on this February , at night ... On foot and over torch light . He took a 1 ounce spherical ball of hardened lead in the region , right between the 2 eyes . Range was around 21 feet .

@Major Khan
My dear friend Ponton it is good to see you are still enjoying your night time shikars after forest panther. I feel this is what is keeping you so young and active despite your 80 years. The love of hunting and chasing forest panther has kept you fit thru the years.
May you enjoy many more shikar.
Your friend
Bob Nelson

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

I apologize sincerely for the late response , @WebleyGreene455 , @mark-hunter and @Malambo . I am making preparations for an upcoming Chital Deer shikar . Let us now delve in to this topic. , in detail .

To start with . I would suggest all of you to take the words of Lakhawat Rawat Singh with a pinch of salt . He may have shot 50 man eating forest panthers and 2 man eating royal Bengal tigers . How ever , he is a strong supporter of the so called “ Wild Life Protection Act - 1972 “ which was enacted by the Indira Gandhi Regime ... To ban all hunting in India . In his mind , hunting for the pot or hunting for recreation are deplorable sins . He is vehemently opposed to the idea that hunting is an indispensable conservation tool . He is not a hunter . He is more akin to what African game departments refer to , as a “ Problem Animal Control “ officer .

Moving on , the hunting ban is directly responsible for an increasingly disconcerting number of man eating forest panthers and royal Bengal tigers to plague India . Prior to 1972 , there was no poaching in India . It was all licensed hunters . When ever we hunted Chital Deer and Nilgai ( The principal diet of the royal Bengal tiger) or Kakar Deer and Chinkara ( The principal diet of the forest panther ) ... We were adhering to well structured bag limits and never “ Over Hunted “ these animals . There were more than enough of these animals for the royal Bengal tiger or the forest panther to feed on , with out needing to turn to live stock or even ATTEMPTING to taste the flesh of man . Man eating royal Bengal tigers and forest panthers were relatively uncommon . After 1972 , poachers have COMPLETELY wiped these animals out ... To the point of decimation ( Using country bombs , snares , traps , bows & arrows and locally made “ Gaddar Bonduk “ muzzle loaders ) . As a result , royal Bengal tigers and forest panthers are forced to turn to live stock or human beings for food . We are talking about the royal Bengal tigers and forest panthers which , themselves are not slaughtered by poachers ( Mostly by using folidol ... But also by using snares , “ Gaddar Bonduk “ muzzle loaders , country bombs or bows with poison tipped arrows ) .

3rdly , Royal Bengal Tigers and forest panthers are becomingly increasingly aggressive and spiteful towards man . During our time , we were hunting these brutes with central fire rifles or shot guns ( Loaded with Lethal Ball cartridges or Contractile Ball cartridges ) . How ever , the Indira Gandhi Regime practical disarmed the Indian population . Poachers are thus , going after royal Bengal tigers and forest panthers with inadequate armaments. Locally made muzzle loaders , bows & poison tipped arrows , folidol , snares and traps are used . More often than not , the brutes escape wounded . And when this happens , they become man eaters . This aggression increases greatly as they find themselves no longer being able to hunt their natural food , and they develop an immense hatred for man . The worst of these , are forest panthers which manage to survive a folidol poisoning . Their nails drop out and their teeth fall off . They also lose a great deal of hair . They are left with no choice , but to feed on human beings .

4thly , the idea of building walls and fences to keep out man eating royal Bengal tigers or panthers works fine in theory . But only in theory . You can only wall up so many places . What about workers in crop fields ? What about honey collectors ? Wood cutters ? Farmers ? Tea Estate workers ? Finally , I do not know about the African leopard . But the Indian forest panther can climb EXTREMELY well . I have unfortunately experienced forest panthers springing up macchans and elephant howdahs in order to reach my clients , 1st hand . We are talking about 20 feet tall macchans , here . Scaling a 30 wall , is absolutely no problem ... For an Indian forest panther . Any body who questions my claim , can check countless videos available on the internet .

5thly , re locating a forest panther or a royal Bengal tiger is simply a manner of saying “ At least he is no longer our problem ! “ . Once a forest panther or a royal Bengal tiger has tasted even 1 drop of human blood ( YES , even 1 drop ) ... It develops an insatiable craving for the flesh of man . Human flesh is like opium for these brutes . They will COMPLETELY eschew all other forms of meat . A man eating royal Bengal tiger or a forest panther is willing to swim for several miles in order to find it’s next human “ Meal “ . It will never be able to satiate his cravings for the flesh of man , with other meats . It will not . That is a hard fact .


6thly , I have already listed all the reasons why a royal Bengal tiger or a forest panther becomes a man eater ... In my previous articles on African Hunting Forums . 1 is titled “ The Art Of Hunting The Forest Panther : A Comprehensive Guide “ . The other is titled “ The Art Of Hunting The Royal Bengal Tiger : A Comprehensive Guide “ . Allow me to add 1 more , which is particularly important under current world circumstances . We know that Hindus ( The religion followed by majority of the locals in India ) cremate their deceased , and scatter the ashes in to the Ganges River . This is only during normal circumstances . During times of mass death ( Such as war time or a disease epidemic . For instance : The current Chinese Virus fiasco ) , Hindus do not bother cremate the entire corpse ... If they need to dispose of multiple corpses . They simply place a live coal inside the mouth of the corpse and toss it in to the Ganges River . These corpses invariably wash up , on to the river banks of the Sundarban mangrove forests or the banks of the countless forests of West Bengal ( Such as a Maulvi Bazaar forest , in Bangladesh ) . When the royal Bengal tigers ( Which inhibit the Sundarban mangrove forests ) or the forest panthers ( Which inhibit West Bengal ) curiously approach these corpses and take a few bites out of them ... New man eaters are created . This is why , there are currently so many man eating forest panthers and royal Bengal tigers in India and Bangladesh ... During the time of this Chinese Virus fiasco .


7thly , it is possible to cage a man eating royal Bengal tiger or a forest panther and confine them to a zoo . Watch what happens , when you offer them any type of meat which is NOT human flesh . They shall not touch it . They shall lie down and starve themselves to death . Whether or not , this is less cruel than out right shooting them ... Depends up on every person’s individual morality .


Before I conclude , I would like to show all of you a photograph .

GRAPHIC CONTENT BELOW



















View attachment 359598

GRAPHIC CONTENT ABOVE


This is the corpse of a wood cutter ( Or rather , what is left of him ) , who had been savaged to death by the man eating forest panther pictured below .
View attachment 359599
After his grisly demise , his widowed wife was forced to get his 15 year old daughter married off ... Just because the widow no longer was able to feed their 5 children .

@Major Khan
My dear friend Ponton. You raise some very good and valid points on the man eaters. Once they have tasted human flesh There is no going back. Unfortunately in these times of the corona virus ( China flu) with free meals laid on for them and the loss of their normal diet this will only increase. I'm not overly sorry for the people that get harmed but feel grief that these magnificent animals are victims of human greed and stupidity.
Recently I was talking to a young Indian trainee doctor in Hervey Bay in Queensland and he was saying there's a gradual swing away from the old Ghandi policy. More young people in their mid 20s to mid 30s are ashamed of what their country has become and the loss of wild life that they want to see the old ways return. We had a great conversation about hunting and conservation and he appeared to embrace the idea of it. He was assisting stitching up my arm at the time and even the Englih non hunting registrar could see the benefits.
I showed them some photos of my hunt in Namibia and they were genuinely impressed at how hunting and conservation could work in harmony.
Your friend and out spoken hunter
Bob Nelson

 

[WebleyGreene455]

3rdly , Royal Bengal Tigers and forest panthers are becomingly increasingly aggressive and spiteful towards man . During our time , we were hunting these brutes with central fire rifles or shot guns ( Loaded with Lethal Ball cartridges or Contractile Ball cartridges ) . How ever , the Indira Gandhi Regime practical disarmed the Indian population . Poachers are thus , going after royal Bengal tigers and forest panthers with inadequate armaments. Locally made muzzle loaders , bows & poison tipped arrows , folidol , snares and traps are used . More often than not , the brutes escape wounded . And when this happens , they become man eaters . This aggression increases greatly as they find themselves no longer being able to hunt their natural food , and they develop an immense hatred for man . The worst of these , are forest panthers which manage to survive a folidol poisoning . Their nails drop out and their teeth fall off . They also lose a great deal of hair . They are left with no choice , but to feed on human beings .

4thly , the idea of building walls and fences to keep out man eating royal Bengal tigers or panthers works fine in theory . But only in theory . You can only wall up so many places . What about workers in crop fields ? What about honey collectors ? Wood cutters ? Farmers ? Tea Estate workers ? Finally , I do not know about the African leopard . But the Indian forest panther can climb EXTREMELY well . I have unfortunately experienced forest panthers springing up macchans and elephant howdahs in order to reach my clients , 1st hand . We are talking about 20 feet tall macchans , here . Scaling a 30 wall , is absolutely no problem ... For an Indian forest panther . Any body who questions my claim , can check countless videos available on the internet .

5thly , re locating a forest panther or a royal Bengal tiger is simply a manner of saying “ At least he is no longer our problem ! “ . Once a forest panther or a royal Bengal tiger has tasted even 1 drop of human blood ( YES , even 1 drop ) ... It develops an insatiable craving for the flesh of man . Human flesh is like opium for these brutes . They will COMPLETELY eschew all other forms of meat . A man eating royal Bengal tiger or a forest panther is willing to swim for several miles in order to find it’s next human “ Meal “ . It will never be able to satiate his cravings for the flesh of man , with other meats . It will not . That is a hard fact .

6thly , I have already listed all the reasons why a royal Bengal tiger or a forest panther becomes a man eater ... In my previous articles on African Hunting Forums . 1 is titled “ The Art Of Hunting The Forest Panther : A Comprehensive Guide “ . The other is titled “ The Art Of Hunting The Royal Bengal Tiger : A Comprehensive Guide “ . Allow me to add 1 more , which is particularly important under current world circumstances . We know that Hindus ( The religion followed by majority of the locals in India ) cremate their deceased , and scatter the ashes in to the Ganges River . This is only during normal circumstances . During times of mass death ( Such as war time or a disease epidemic . For instance : The current Chinese Virus fiasco ) , Hindus do not bother cremate the entire corpse ... If they need to dispose of multiple corpses . They simply place a live coal inside the mouth of the corpse and toss it in to the Ganges River . These corpses invariably wash up , on to the river banks of the Sundarban mangrove forests or the banks of the countless forests of West Bengal ( Such as a Maulvi Bazaar forest , in Bangladesh ) . When the royal Bengal tigers ( Which inhibit the Sundarban mangrove forests ) or the forest panthers ( Which inhibit West Bengal ) curiously approach these corpses and take a few bites out of them ... New man eaters are created . This is why , there are currently so many man eating forest panthers and royal Bengal tigers in India and Bangladesh ... During the time of this Chinese Virus fiasco .

7thly , it is possible to cage a man eating royal Bengal tiger or a forest panther and confine them to a zoo . Watch what happens , when you offer them any type of meat which is NOT human flesh . They shall not touch it . They shall lie down and starve themselves to death . Whether or not , this is less cruel than out right shooting them ... Depends up on every person’s individual morality .

Major, I don't mind saying your third point makes me feel ill just from the thought of a panther losing every advantage it has in hunting like that to foul poison, regardless of whether the animal is violent by nature or simply by circumstance. You ask if a captive animal starving itself to death is less cruel than shooting; no, it's not. Give the animal a swift end and ease its suffering, the same way you would to an ailing pet who could not feed itself or even move from its bed for pain.

Your fourth, yes I see what you mean. My mind admittedly works better when applying itself to keeping people out of settlements (or getting people in; siege-breaking tactics are fun to learn about) than agile and crafty animals, and in fields etc I can't see a method to stop a determined panther or any other predator from having its way that would work every time.

I would be curious to see if there is an increase in crocodile-related deaths in the near future, as a result of those abbreviated Hindu funeral practices you described. If tigers etc can get a taste for human flesh from a washed-up corpse, then surely a crocodile might begin associating humans with easy food as well.