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| King George V cdn.britannica.com |
King George V’s tiger hunting spree during his visit to India in 1911 is a significant event that highlights both the royal enthusiasm for hunting and the devastating impact on India’s wildlife, particularly tigers. George V, who had been the Prince of Wales before ascending the British throne, arrived in India to attend the Delhi Durbar, which marked his coronation as Emperor of India. While the Durbar itself was a grand political event, his hunting expeditions were equally notable.
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| Tiger hunting,George V,front row, (5th from left), 1906 .dailymail.co.uk |
During his ten-day hunting spree in the Nepal Terai region, King George V reportedly killed 39 tigers, along with other large game like rhinoceroses and bears. Hunting was not just a royal pastime but also a display of power and domination over the exotic landscape of India. It was common for British royalty and aristocrats to indulge in big-game hunting, often organized with lavish resources by local rulers eager to curry favor with their colonial overlords. In the case of King George V, the Maharaja of Nepal personally arranged the hunt, showcasing the alliance between colonial officials and local elites.
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| Indian tiger population o the increase. static.toiimg.com |
Above image: There are 3,682 tigers now in India, up from 2,967 in 2018 — .a rise of almost 24% in four years. The numbers are also up from the 3,167 (vide census data 2022).
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| sporting activities in the British Raj..fieldsports-journal.com |
The scale of the king’s tiger hunt, however, was more than just a regal pursuit. It reflected the broader colonial attitude toward wildlife in India, which regarded animals, especially predators like tigers, as obstacles to agricultural expansion or symbols of conquest. British officials, as well as Indian princes, hunted tigers in great numbers, contributing to a sharp decline in tiger populations across India. By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the tiger population had significantly dwindled, primarily due to hunting and habitat loss caused by expanding railways, roads, and agricultural settlements.
The colonial government in India introduced various game laws, but these were largely ineffective in protecting wildlife. The Game Act of 1887, for instance, sought to regulate hunting by requiring permits for the killing of certain animals. However, these laws were primarily concerned with preserving game for future hunts rather than conserving species. Tigers were still seen as dangerous predators rather than animals worthy of protection.
The popularity of tiger hunting among the British elite led to further depletion of the species. As a direct consequence of royal hunts, including those by King George V, and regular big-game hunts organized by British officers and local rulers, the tiger population continued to face extreme pressure. It wasn’t until post-independence India that serious steps were taken to protect the species, notably with the introduction of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 and Project Tiger in 1973, aimed at curbing poaching and preserving tiger habitats.
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| .bandhavgarh-national-park.com |
King George V’s hunting spree is a stark example of how colonial practices, both cultural and political, contributed to the near extinction of the Bengal tiger, an issue that remains critical in wildlife conservation efforts today.
https://www.bandhavgarh-national-park.com/blog/tiger-increases-madhya-pradesh
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