Tiger Hunting Viceroy & Maharaja At Gwalior, 1914 Photo
A 1914 photo of a tiger hunting by a Viceroy of India and Maharaja at Gwalior. Lord Charles Hardinge was the Viceroy of British India from 1910 to 1916. The Maharaja was Maharaja Madho Rao Scindia of Gwalior. The photo shows Lord and Lady Hardinge including the Maharaja and other high-ranking officials and attendants.
Seen are an impressive row of elephants with howdahs on their backs. Two hunted deer lying on the ground. Tiger shooting or hunting was the favorite pastime of Britishers and Maharajas in the British era days. It was considered a manly sport back then, but unfortunately depleted the forests of its wildlife.
The effects are still felt today in regard to the dwindling tiger population. King George V after his Delhi Durbar of 1911 went on a hunt for 10 days killing around 39 tigers, 18 rhinos, bears, and so on. Fortunately, the tigers, rhinos, and bears are making a slow comeback from near extinction although poaching is a major problem today.
The body parts of tigers and other animals are in big demand in some countries. See my post- Nawab Of Bhopal’s Hunting Bentley – Old Photo 1926 (#2).
Did you know- In 1900, it is estimated there were around 100,000 tigers in India alone but hunters, poachers, and loss of habitat have seen numbers plummet. Now India has around 2500 tigers left.
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