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Got some old "Shikaar" tales to share? Found a great new spot to Fish? Any interesting camping experiences? Discussion of Back-packing, Bicycling, Boating, National Parks, Wildlife, Outdoor Cooking & Recipes etc.
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Probably one of the rarest videos I have seen. Trained Indian Cheetahs hunting antelopes.
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The graceful speed of these animals is spectacular.The surprising aspect is how tame they are even while at their kill.The trainers are dragging the felines away from their kill and they do not display any aggression towards them.Our family mutt M Dirty Dogg, an otherwise most lovable and non-violent fellow, would charge after me should I try to take his meal plate away. What a shame that they are extinct.
Best-
Vikram
It ain’t over ’til it’s over! "Rocky,Rocky,Rocky....."
The Cheetah is the fastest mammal on earth. The Blackbuck is the fastest antelope in India. The natural prey of the (now extinct) Indian Cheetah was the black buck.
When domesticated the Cheetah is like a mix of the cat and a dog. It looks like a big cat but is as docile (though not as faithful) as a dog.
Fantastic videography. Such excellant picture quality considering it was shot more than seventy years ago.
Do read Divyabhanusinh's 'On the trail of the Cheetah' published about 5 years ago. It is, I believe the definitive giude on cheetahs in India, both wild and those trained for hunting in India, Iran and Africa. He had done this as his thesis for his D.Litt, but ultimately published it. Will make a compelling read.
the video clip posted is from the original film taken by the National Geographic Society of the Bhavnagar cheetahs, around the time of Maharaol Krishnakumarsinhji's reign. If I'm not mistaken, the cheetahs were Iranian not Indian. Secondly, Bhavnagar was also famous for it's faclonry.
Regards,
Katana
Justice alone is the mainstay of government and the source of prosperity to the governed, injustice is the most pernicious of things; it saps the foundations of the government and brings ruin upon the realm - Sher Shah Sur, Sultan-ul-Adil.
the video clip posted is from the original film taken by the National Geographic Society of the Bhavnagar cheetahs, around the time of Maharaol Krishnakumarsinhji's reign. If I'm not mistaken, the cheetahs were Iranian not Indian. Secondly, Bhavnagar was also famous for it's faclonry.
Regards,
Katana
your absolutely right about Bhavnagar, ground seems very much like black buck national park presently known as Velavadar now a days( north of Bhavnagar Dist. Gujarat), bullocks hauling carts are Kankrej breed known for their endurance,
"Men like us don't deserve to die in the bed, field would be a batter option"
That's an interesting piece of info. Katana.
The meat cooking cooks in many Hindu states were muslims. That's why you will find these men running to slit the throat of the antelope (halal) before it dies.
These cooks also discouraged their masters from eating pork (since cooking it would be sacrilege) and in many places you had the Rajas hunting wild boar but not eating them.
It is in Bhavanagar, in the Bhal region. Now the good news: GOI is planning to reintroduce cheetahs in the same region. The Velavadar Black Buck National Park is located here, and amazingly now, overpopulated. The other option is Mithi Virdi near Wankaner. However, the prey base here is mostly Nilgai.
Regards,
Katana
Justice alone is the mainstay of government and the source of prosperity to the governed, injustice is the most pernicious of things; it saps the foundations of the government and brings ruin upon the realm - Sher Shah Sur, Sultan-ul-Adil.
Dear Katana,
I have been reading about the re-introduction of the Asiatic Cheetah for the past 10 yrs. Interestingly the country from where these Cheetahs were supposed to be "imported" is going through a lot of political change and their priorities are very different today. I will be very glad if this does happen one day. But I will be happier if we can save what we already have in our jungles today.I have always said that First we should save the pride of our jungles ......The majestic Tiger......and once we have achieved that should we venture into such projects. With less than 1500 tigers in the wild I see little hope for these beautiful animals unless drastic measures are taken right away.
-- Sun Apr 18, 2010 1:30 am --
Mithi Virdi near Vanekar would not be a very good option anyways. As you have mentioned the prey base there is Neelgai. Neelgai is the largest antelope in the Indian subcontinent and would not be the normal prey for a Cheetah. Cheetahs tend to go for smaller animals (in the Indian context) Chinkara and blackbuck rather than animals much larger (neelgai) than them. The modus operandi used by the Cheetah is to trip the prey and then grab him by the troat (as shown in the vedio above).
Whether it's the tiger or the cheetah or even the lion, the sad part is that in the name of development, the wide open spaces are all going. One reason is overpopulation of humans, politicians not really understanding the -animal-human conflict, and increasing coverage of agriculture. Pains me to think that my son will not see even the last flicker of the lamp. The big cats will all go, and with it our souls, altough we humans will not realise it till it's all dark.
Katana
Justice alone is the mainstay of government and the source of prosperity to the governed, injustice is the most pernicious of things; it saps the foundations of the government and brings ruin upon the realm - Sher Shah Sur, Sultan-ul-Adil.
This is how boars are roasted in one area of India..In US they call it 'pig in a pit' roast in North Carolina area. This photo is from teambhpindia and this is from travelogue by ADC he has some of the most amazing pictures. http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travelogu ... est-2.html
