My Second Man Eating Royal Bengal Tiger

[Hunter-Habib]

Beautiful rifle and … with signs of use.

It’s got real character to it !

 

[Bapu]

I got him to send me some photographs, Bapu. Absolutely stunning, isn't it ?
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Lovely double would love to pick one if opportunity permits.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

I have just come from Turkey where they have a lot of wild boars. No one goes hungry there, of course, but meat is extremely expensive (inflation 80 % !!) and the meat of the pigs remains in the bush for the jackals because as Muslims they refuse to eat it...........


Did you also weigh your tigers , now and then ?

What does a strong one weigh ?

Great reports you write.

Thanks

That is absolutely immoral of them, Foxi. I am a Muslim myself, but back when I was Chief Conservator of Forests of South Bengal… I would always authorize the distribution of the fresh wild pork amongst all of our non Muslim communities during our annual wild boar culling programs in Khulna, Kaptai, Sylhet & Bhalooka.

The Royal Bengal tigers inhabiting the Sundarban mangrove forests have evolved to become lighter than the larger & heavier specimens inhabiting (for instance) Central India and the Terrai region of India & Nepal (which yields the second largest tigers in the world after the Siberian tiger). The average male Royal Bengal tiger inhabiting the Sundarbans weighs between 308 LB-317 LB.
This is because of the following reasons:
- As opposed to the Indian specimens which subsist on the larger Sambar deer & blue bull antelope, these tigers live on the relatively smaller Axis deer & wild boar.
- Their bodies have evolved to be able to swim through the entirety of the Sundarbans with ease (which can best be described as a gigantic marshland or swamp with hundreds of thousands of tiny islands dispersed throughout the entire terrain).
- The saltwater present in the mangrove forests has also been attributed to the relatively light weight of the tigers

The largest and heaviest one from amongst the 3 man eating Royal Bengal tigers which I have shot, was the Man Eater of Atharobeki in 1989 (the last man eating Royal Bengal tiger to be legally hunted in the Sundarbans). He weighed 315 LB 6 OZ, and measured 9 ft 10” from snout to tail.

Here are his fangs, which I was permitted to retain.

 

[Pondoro]

Golam, is that William Evans 450/400 a 3" or a 3 1/4..?

 

[Hunter-Habib]

Golam, is that William Evans 450/400 a 3" or a 3 1/4..?

Pondoro, it is a 3” chamber. William Evans never manufactured any double rifles in .450/400 Nitro Express 3.25”.

 

[PerH]

Thanks @Hunter-Habib ,always fascinating to see it is some of the fine doubles around . Never shot a English double my self . Just seen a couple of them . Wish and hope for one someday , but reality likely say it won’t be .

 

[Danchy007]

@Hunter-Habib went and read the maneater story. Amazing and not gonna lie it is one of those things I hope to have an opportunity for tiger,lion,leopard whatever just as long as we are talking man eater. Also love the double looks stunning

 

[Hunter-Habib]

@Hunter-Habib went and read the maneater story. Amazing and not gonna lie it is one of those things I hope to have an opportunity for tiger,lion,leopard whatever just as long as we are talking man eater. Also love the double looks stunning

Why thank you, Danchy. But I really must warn you: It’s very dangerous.

 

[mark-hunter]

What we lack on forum is deals, offers and opportunities on man eaters.

 

[grand veneur]

Why thank you, Danchy. But I really must warn you: It’s very dangerous.

Can I imagine, you are yourself the bait for a maneater.

 

[mark-hunter]

A skilled man with a gun, is most dangerous being on earth, and apex predator on top of the food chain.
Man eaters are dangerous, due to fact that not all the people fit above description.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

Can I imagine, you are yourself the bait for a maneater.

Something like that, Grand Veneur. I shot the first 2 when they returned to feed on natural kills at night. I shot the final one from a speed boat during a random encounter in the afternoon.

 

[yhc]

What a beautiful double it is , and to use revolver bullets as practice also with reloads that mimic .400 3 inch one can do also

Or small game / short range medium game also to save large ammo .

Would you kindly share a bit more information re: use of revolver bullets on 450/400 as practice rounds? Thanks @PerH

 

[Hunter-Habib]

A skilled man with a gun, is most dangerous being on earth, and apex predator on top of the food chain.
Man eaters are dangerous, due to fact that not all the people fit above description.

I know many people who are extremely skilled deer hunters that have gotten killed by trying to go after a man eating Royal Bengal tiger.

No matter how skilled a person is with a firearm, it’s absolutely no use if the man eater manages to ambush them (which is how they always go after their prey, by attacking either from the rear or from the sides but never from the front). The terrain of the Sundarban mangrove forests makes things even worse. Due to the dense mangrove vegetation in the Sundarbans, practically all shots at man eating Royal Bengal tigers are/were taken in low visibility situations (esp. the first 2 which I shot at night over torchlight).

How well the hunter knows the local terrain as well as the behavioral patterns of man eating Royal Bengal tigers are the biggest factor in determining his success when he decides to go after a man eater.

 

[mark-hunter]

In this situation, as described, I wonder does the tiger know he has been hunted, or acts against hunter, as his regular prey? Business as usual, for tiger?

 

[grand veneur]

My experience with tigers is limited to a track in the jungle of Malaysia.

In the very dense vegetation with a visibility of only a few meters, I was not very interested in an encounter with the tiger.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

In this situation, as described, I wonder does the tiger know he has been hunted, or acts against hunter, as his regular prey? Business as usual, for tiger?

He will try to attack and kill the hunter, but will not try to eat him/her. More along the lines of trying to attack the hunter as a form of retribution.

Human beings killed for feeding purposes will always have flesh from the buttocks (and breasts, in case the man eater kills a female human being) consumed first. The corpses of human beings killed for “Tormenting” the man eater will only have wound patterns indicative of whatever caused their death (such as bites to the head, neck & torso).

 

[Hunter-Habib]

@mark-hunter
Observe the wound patterns on these these 3 victims of a man eating Royal Bengal tiger.

GRAPHIC CONTENT BELOW





















These 2 children were killed for feeding purposes, but the man eater was interrupted… thus, being forced to abandon the kills. Degree of postmortem mutilation is extensive.

This victim was killed for trying to hit the man eater with an axe, while the man eater had killed the child in the second photograph for feeding purposes. Degree of postmortem mutilation is minimal.

GRAPHIC CONTENT ABOVE

 

[Ruraldoc]

Mr Habib,

Thank you so much for posting your stories and experiences here. Would love to meet you in person in the states or perhaps Africa one day.

Did you know anyone personally who was killed by a tiger while they were hunting the tiger?

 

[Hunter-Habib]

Mr Habib,

Thank you so much for posting your stories and experiences here. Would love to meet you in person in the states or perhaps Africa one day.

Did you know anyone personally who was killed by a tiger while they were hunting the tiger?

Yes, Ruraldoc.

I know several. But the closest to me, was forest guard Mustapha. You can read about the entire incident, here.

The Last Man Eater Of The Mangroves

Hey, gents. A couple of months back, I shared an account of the hunt for the second of the 3 man eating Royal Bengal tigers which I had shot (1988), back when I used to be the DFO (Divisional Forest Officer) of the Sundarban mangrove forests. As I mentioned previously, I’m working with an...

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