Hunting Abroad

[prashantsingh]

-- Tue Jan 19, 2010 11:51 pm --

Believe me the Paper work is not going to be Easy. What I have mentioned are the basic broadlines. The laws are changing and getting strict every year. So before planning a hunt one must update himself with the latest .

Got some terrible news from Safarigent today.
He has just returned from an African Hunt.
He went to the Forest Office in Delhi and was informed that the Govt. is planning to BAN all import of animal trophies into India.

This I feel is sad.
When one can not hunt in India , he should at least be allowed to hunt abroad and get his trophies.
Many years ago India banned import of Ivory from Africa.
The end result was that poachers started targetting the Indian Elephants. Unlike the African Elephants where both male and females have tusks, in India only males have tusks.
In many reserves down South the Tuskers were shot for their Ivory . The situation turned so bad that the male : female sex ratio changed drastically . There were just not enough tuskers left.
This was also the time when poachers like Veerappan thrived.

The final order (BAN) has not been approved Yet. I hope AB can get his trophies.

[Safarigent]

this is a banana nation, not india anymore. reasoning is out of the window and idiocy just walked in through the front door!!
we have more than our fair share of idiots out here; and they seem to congregate under the auspices of indian government service, whatever the branch maybe.
i also want to wait for concrete proof, as i feel a blanket ban cant be effected. what about the imported leather gucci bags which the wives of senior officers must have?
i hope that the trophies can be imported. if not, they go to my cousins.
and i start wingshooting. lol

but seriously, this is a dangerous thing, as now, a lot of people will feel tempted to hunt illegally here itself, as there is no benefit accruing to them from hunting abroad.
talk about apne paon mein kulhadi!!

[prashantsingh]

I have never seen a Kudu. Even when I went to South Africa I never saw one.
I was hoping to see it along with the Zebra rug at your place Arjun.
I still hope your consignment comes through and the ban is enforced later.

I believe animal trophies are not just "Dead wild animals" hanging on the wall. I have a number of oldies coming to my place to visit my grandfather. Most of them have been old time Shikaris who hunted when it was legal in India. When ever they see my African trophies they seem to brighten up and with the enthusiasm (like that of a little child) ask me about my African hunt. I find myself repeating the same stories again and again , but never find it monotonous. I always end the stories with a special mention on how the funds raised through hunting actually contribute in preserving the habitat and wildlife.
Taxidermy is an art which brings life to a dead animal. You have seen my shoulder mounts. They look so real . Most of the kids who come to my place to visit my two little daughter aged 7 and 4 yrs , request me if they can touch the mounts and feel them. I find it interesting and always oblige them.
There is one story I must mention here. I had this little girl who came once. She would walk into the sitting room where one of the shoulder mounts was kept. Then walk to the adjacent room. Come back again to the sitting room and go back. After she had repeated the same thing a few times I asked her what she was up to.
Innocent as these small kids always are.....she told me . "I can see the head and neck here . I was wondering if the rest of the animal's body was jutting out of the wall in the adjacent room."
Animal trophies offer us the closest encounter with an animal we otherwise may never have a chance to see in a lifetime.
One of my favourite sections of the National / Indian Museum Calcutta (Kolkata) was the Zoology section with the finest specimens from India and Abroad, beautifully preserved for future generations to admire.

[Safarigent]

i am hoping to put in my application on monday.
lets see what happens.
fingers crossed