Something old, something new .. just for fun:

Indian Curry

Nick,

Thanks for those. Great pictures.

What animal does one use if one wants to make a "bullock-skin" boat?

Regards,

Terry

Terry, I take "bullock" as just another name for cow, buffalo, bovine etc., etc. Could be wrong. It may hold an even more general meaning, worldwide (?).

Did you check out the degree of deforestation in India? Horrible.

Nice pictures Nick, Thank You.

That tusker is particularly impressive, do you know what kind of ivory was seen as a trophy in India?
Also, I noticed the 3 tigers included 2 sub-adults. I know this also happened (happens?) in Africa too, can you tell me if India ever had a systematic system of game management?

Hi Bog,
Generally, the proportion of tuskers to herd totals is lower than in Africa, especially so, in Ceylon. The ivory tends to be lighter and more slender but of high quality. I know of no tusks out of India that might rival the best African tusks but I'd best pass your questions on to our resident experts. Mehul, Mamun, Rustam, Sat .. where you be?

Thanks Nick! Much appreciated, as always!

Regards,
Martin

Nick, thank you once again for some truly memorable photos.

I am no expert but according to 'The Book Of Indian Animals - S.H. Prater', that I have at hand... "a pair of tusks in the Royal Museum at Bangkok taped 9'-10 1/2". A pair in the possesion of King George VI measured 8'-9" and 8'-6 1/2" and weighed 160 lbs. and 161 lbs. respectively. Few tusks weigh more than 100 lbs. the pair."

Rustam

quote:

Originally posted by Nickudu:
Terry, I take "bullock" as just another name for cow, buffalo, bovine etc., etc. Could be wrong. It may hold an even more general meaning, worldwide (?).

It's just another name for bulls as far as I know.

Rustam, those are the largest Indian elephant tusks I've yet heard of, thank you very much for the information!

Nickudu and Rustam,

A minor correction - bullock refers to castrated bulls used for drawing carts.

Speaking of big elephants, a distinct subspecies that is a link between the modern Asiatic elephant and the historical (and extinct) ancestor of the modern Asiatic elephant was discovered in Nepal in 1999. The story is at http://members.aol.com/rtwinam/elephant.html

Thank you very much, Nickudu for the superb pictures. I remember growing up during the last days of the old India when we didn't have television, when the number of bullock carts in India alone was more than the number of cars in the rest of the world and when more people travelled to Sri Lanka or Singapore by ship and not by air. These pictures bring back lovely memories indeed!

Just to illustrate the kind of crazy stuff that still goes on in India:

http://www.hindu.com/2005/02/24/stories/2005022412870400.htm

Monkey business turns lucrative

By Bindu Shajan Perappadan



NEW DELHI, FEB. 23. For over half a decade now, a rather aggressive "crowd'' has been going to office alongside the humble briefcase-carrying "babus'' in the Capital. Except that this group of rhesus monkeys is neither welcome nor required here.

While the monkeys caused more trouble than what the government machinery could take, the more aggressive langurs were brought in to scare them away. That was over almost six years ago. Today, however, while the monkey trouble has grown manifold, the business of tackling the "simian menace" is big business in the Capital. The langurs are now earning for their owners Rs. 20,000 or more a month for the "upkeep" of a single institution in the Capital.

And previously what began as a small venture with less than a handful of langurs for G. S. Manchanda, the largest operator and supplier of langurs in the Capital, has now turned into a lucrative venture with 45-working langurs, several helpers and a turnover that seems to making him a happier and richer man each year.

The services that were previously offered only to government offices has now spread to hospitals including All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Safdurjung, Lok Nayak Jaya Prakash and G.B. Pant. AIIMS has recently renewed its contract for using the services of langurs after having employed them for the previous five years. Also, many private institutions are roping in the services of langurs for tackling their day-to-day problems of keeping the rhesus monkeys at bay.

With their headquarters in Rohini, the langur are being brought in from Jaipur, Uttaranchal, Uttar Pradesh and the nearby hilly regions. They are then trained and disciplined for the work at hand.

"The langurs are handled by people who are comfortable with them and can work without putting the animal under stress. We have the largest spread of operations in the Capital and business is growing everyday. The only problem being that the rhesus monkeys never really go away from a place they have adopted. Also, people tend to give them food and in a way encourage larger groups to come in here,'' said G.S. Manchanda.

Speaking about the Capital's bane and how the problem has aggravate in some areas, experts claim that it is increased deforestation and wrong habits that are prevalent among city dwellers which has led to a situation where these monkeys are now co-existing with human population.

quote:

Speaking of big elephants, a distinct subspecies that is a link between the modern Asiatic elephant and the historical (and extinct) ancestor of the modern Asiatic elephant was discovered in Nepal in 1999. The story is at http://members.aol.com/rtwinam/elephant.html

Thanks for the correction and the link, Mehul. According to the book mentioned above, India was host to seven species of elephant and eight different mastodons during the remote geological periods. Must have been one heck of a sight.

Rustam

Mehul - Thanks for the "bullock" clarification.

Raja Gaj - I watch a TV special, some years back, where they were investigating reports of a mammoth in a very remote area. Turned out to be Raja Gaj and his friends. They're still not quite sure how to classify them.