ON THE EDGE OF EXTINCTION - A - THE TIGER (Panthera tigris)

[peter]

OLD TIGER HUNTING MOVIES NEPAL AND INDIA AND A SPOKEN COPY OF 'MAN-EATERS OF KUMAON' (J. Corbett)

Tiger hunting was very popular in the days of the British Raj. Same for the period directly after WWII (1945-1970). Maharajahs, hunters and countless others have written thousands of books about tiger hunting. One would needs many years to read them all to get an idea about that period.

In the thirties of the last century, some Maharajahs started to film some hunts. Hunters followed. The result is there are hundreds of films. Most were lost, but some made it all the way to the new century. Some of them can be found on You Tube. 

Although not that interesting, most have some value. The reason is they offer a kind of insight into a different period. If we forget about opinions for a moment, they can be seen as moving postcards. We could decide to throw them away and we could decide to keep them for those interested.   

This post has 7 films I found on You Tube. I will try to find more. If one of you has more, feel free to post the link.

Most of you probably read one or two books about tiger hunting. The most popular book could be 'Man-Eaters of Kumaon', written by Jim Corbett. I read it more than once. Later, I saw a movie about Corbett which was broadcasted by the BBC. It wasn't too bad, but the book was way better. I remember reading from it for someone interested in good stories, but unable to read English. There's no need to do it myself anymore, as a soundtrack was made. Someone posted a copy on You Tube. It tops my list by far. If interested, go to no. 3.       


1 - The Queen and tiger in Kathmandu (06:29), 1961:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4CmB9c852s

2 - Indian tiger hunting in the days of yore (01:08):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQd_Usvgvmw

3 - Tiger hunting (01:48:31) - for those who didn't read 'Maneaters of Kumaon' (Jim Corbett):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8z3TCPltDK4

4 - Britishers hunt tigers, rare archival footage (01:49)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djcO6SZSP7k

5 - Old India: Maharajah on tiger hunt in 1938 (02:29):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NnuPk4-0Ak

6 - A tiger hunt in Bengal, 1950s (09:14):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WheVwYQHsAM

7 - Tiger Shikar in India, A Tiger Hunt in India with Ellis Dungan (09:34)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmYznJ88lY4

8 - Leopard and Tiger Hunt (07:47) - Narsapur, India (1930):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21LeOxQIum8

9 - Trapping of a Man-Eating Tiger (02:22) - British Malaysia (I don't think they were man-eaters, but the film has two wild tigers from that region anyhow):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYR3iEka2BI Reply