The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-03-31
KILLED BY WILD ANIMALS
Thousands of Men Lose Their Lives
in This Way Annually.
Tigers Responsible for the Denth
of Over Fifteen Hundred People
in India in Single Icnr-Dnn
ger From Leopards and snakes.


While man virtually holds the lives OF
the most powerful animals in his hands,
he is by no means secure in his position,
hut falls q victim to other animals In
what would he an alarming ratio were
the matter at all considered as separate
and distinct from other fatalities OF the
human race.
One reason for this loss of human life
is possibly the security which man feeis.
Theoretically, his position is a strong
one, and guided by reason and inteih-
sence. he proceeds without fear against
the largest and most ferocious OF AMI
mals. If a careful study of the conditions
of animal life were made with view 10
settling the question of which Is the
bravest and most courageous OF al the
lower animals. one might well select the
common house fly, which deliberately az.
lacks man-au irritated, often enraged'
auimal-thousands of times its size
In the same sense man exhibits remark
able bravery in attacking the whale-an
animal ninety-tive feet in length anu
weighing hundreds of tons-the largest
and most powerful of living animals yet
man will rush upon an enraged Whale'
and while floating over its mighty FORM
in an eggshell of "A boat drive the lnsiS-
nificant weapon into its vitals, taking the
chances of avoiding the powerful tan
Such an attack is the highest expression
of human bravery; yet undaunted by the
fatalities, scores of men lose their hVes
annually, wiped out of existence III manu-
to-hand encounters with the largest OF
all creatures. In "A single year over i'"'o
nersons have succumbed directly or in
directly TO this animal, and every year
there is list of fatalities.
In one year over 1,5c0 men have been
killed by tigers in India alone; and IN the
last 100 years the human population mas
been depleted to the extent OF 2o9eVo per
sons who have met their death by the
man-eating tigers of this region. AT the
beginning of the nineteenth century there
was little or no protection afforded, ana
tigers existed in large numbers and roam
ed about almost unmolested. In nearly
every centre of human occupation there
was one or more tigers that defied human
beings. They crept up to villages, bound
ed into houses, carrying off men, women,
and children with an utter disregard Tor
hunters that was appalling, and which
completely demoralized the people. ms
fact led to tiger hunting becoming a sport
hunters responded to the appeals OF the
natives and a warfare was declared ana
carried on so effectuaily tnat the ailiiil't t
have been decimated, ana where IN l,vV
1000 or 1900 persons were Killed anhualy
by them. the death list today IL not more
than one or two a day. though II some
times increases to 500 or l,WO year.
In India the leopard is a dangerous zoe
10 man and in the vicinity of singapore,
even at the present day, leoparos XIII on
an average one man a day, preylhe upon
them as a cat preys upon mouse. for
at least a century well-regulated warfare
has been waged against these ANIMALS
with a view to their destruction, the Low
eminent offering "A bounty, ana district
governments often duplicating the reward
for the scalp of leopard or tiger. But the
injury these animals accomplish fddes
into insignificance before the death hst
laid al the door of snakes. Indla appears
10 be the hotbed for these deadly reptlIesi
and the mort persistent warfare appar-
entity has had little effect upon them, the
deadly cobra and others being as numer-
Gus today, seemingly. in the interior as
they verc a century ago. That the Indian
Government recognizes the danger from
this source is shown by the fact that an
army of snake-killers is employed ana
there is a bounty paid on every deadly
snake killed. The statistics OF this war
fare to the death are amazing and almost
beyond belief During the last century
100000 human beings were Killed py
snakes in India and In all the rest of the
world the loss may be said to De one
fourth of this, though accurate data is
lacking For years the mortality from
year In 1880 cobras alone killed B,U0
natives and 2.OJ0 head of cattle. during
this period the paid snake-llillers destroy
ed 2l2 776 cobras.
the death rate which in 1882 was almost
AS high one reason for this loss OF me
IS that the natives are careless; they DO
not seem TO learn by experience, ana
walk with bare feet through the forests
and jungles which are known to be IN
tested with the deadly snake; and when
bitten they accept IL as the inevitable,
making no effort, In many instances, to
effect a cure In Africa 1000 natives are
killed a year testimated) by a hooded
snake, which was considered the emblem
of divinity in early days.
In India and Africa, where the cltphahl
Is to be considered as an enemy to man,
this magnificent animal is rapidly disap-
bearing, and II is not overstatlnS the
gravity of the ease to say that at IN tne enc
OF another century these animals Will he a
mere memory and ciassed with the mann
moth and hairy rhinoceros, described Dy
Pailas In India, especially. the elephant
is often not merely menace TO man put
to villages and towns. Such animals are
allied ''rogues." and are greatly dreaded
In the last fifty years they have. IN
mere malicious snort, killed over 800 ma
tiyes hundreds Of domestic animals, and
ruined property valued at thousands of
| dollars. Such elephants seem TO oe alZed
| suddenly with an antipathy Tor man, ana
| one animal has been known to devastate
| and terrorize neighborhood five miles
| square. In 1867 two large tuskers became
! famous as 'rogues.' They Travelled to-
gcther and when they came upon men at
| work in the field charged them at once
with the greatest feroCity; when the men
ESCAPED they would Wreak vengeance on
| the cultivated fields or the houses
| An elephant known as the kakankote
rogue so completely demoraliZed that To-
| cality some twenty years ago that the IN
| habitants of the district appealed to the
! British Government for protection. Ii
| first began deliberately to destroy the
| farms, trampling down grain and other
| crops; then IL charged "A native village,
| rushing headlong through the streets.
| tossing houses and people into the air.
| This continued until the elephant had
complete possession of a strip OF country
about eight miles long. includlns the main
| road between Mysore and Wynaad.
| All travel was at a standstill and a
| small squad of police was stationed AT
| each end of this road to warn travellers
| of the danger. When traveller arrived
| al the outpost OF the rogue elephants do
main he found numbers of natives armed
| with tom-tOmh and other noise-creaune
| instruments. who offered to accompany
| him and frighten off the elephant. Fol
| FIVE months this rogue, which was OF
! large size, black, and hideous with short
| doubled-up tusks. deiied his pursuers, anC
| only fell after desperate conflict. The
| entire country for miles about celebrated
| this event, the slayer became hero
| while the feet of the rogue were placed al
| the ends of the road where natives pro
| claimed that the animal had been de
| stroycd.
| An elephant in the Doom, name
| Gunesh escaped from the Government
| keepers some years ago and for ntteef
| years deticd capture, all this time de
| Vastating fields and killing men, women
| and children wherever 1t saw them. Thu:
| rogue had a chain upon one OF its leg:
| which clanked as IL walked and thi!
| sound became symbol Of terror through
out the country. When il was heard IL
| the vicinity of village the people de
fAsg 10 h.F 10
When this elephant was finally killed i
| had q hlack reclrM as a man KILLER.