Sport of Maharajahs! Indian govt once invited the whole world to kill our tigers for fun

New Delhi: Putting Salman Khan behind bars for hunting blackbucks shows India’s progress and its ‘concern’ towards nature and the importance of its conservation. There was a time when only 1,411 tigers were left in the country, reports said in 2008.

The Government of India Tourist Office did not see only Taj Mahal as a foreigners’ attraction, but also considered the killing of big cats for fun a ‘sport’ of shikar.

How blatant can this advert be? asking to hunt natives of the wild for the sake of just killing. “Shikar! The eyes of the tiger in the jungle-black night are two haunting orbs of fire. Many who have seen them have recorded the experience on film. Others have brought the tiger home… the sportsman’s greatest trophy,” the ad glorified the horrendous act.

Photo Courtesy: Cutting The Chai

The ad further speaks of ‘shikar’ saying: “A Shikar in the jungle of India is a princely caravan, with scores of servants and chefs to tend to every need, expert hunters to guide, and thrills lurking in every rustle of the leaf. Enjoy the excitement of an Indian Shikar – the beloved sport of the Maharajahs.”

However, efforts were made by the Government of India and Project Tiger was launched in 1973 that took tiger conservation seriously, though much damage had already taken place. Now India is expecting the number of tigers to reach 3,000 mark in the 2018 tiger census, as per a report by News18.