Trapping Wildlife ~ 1

I continue my fascination with historical records from the region; however now focussing on hunting and trapping of wildlife. While the socio - cultural practises of a region warrant respect, i am given to understand by virtue of my current understanding (which is not very great) of the wildlife related issues in this region that trapping (of wildlife) as it is practised today merits immediate conservation attention ! We need to begin by attempting to understand - document the scenario and according work together towards implementing conservation friendly practices ~

The paragraphs below are from R A Lorrain's classic "5 Years in Unknown Jungles" and depict the scenario of a century ago from an anthropogenic perspective. Should any of you be interested i am interested to communicate on hunting and trapping as they are practised across the 8 states in this part of our country.

Page 184;
The rainy season is the great time of the year with the Lakhers (Mara) for trapping wild animals, the ground being so sodden with the continual rains as to leave deep foot-prints behind any animal that has passed along, thus enabling them to know the best spots to place their various forms of traps. By far the commonest snared animal is the barking deer, and in order to catch these swift-paced animals, which are a little larger than a large-sized goat, they set a noose across the path, one end of which is tied to a bent-over bamboo over sapling, whilst the noose itself is hidden from view by the undergrowth. A fine line crossing the path is attached to a little trigger arrangement, and the unsuspecting deer comes bounding along and is bound to touch this fine line with its hoof, the slightest touch of which will release the trigger; the bend-over sapling being immediately freed from its lashings will spring into an erect position, drawing the noose tight about the unfortunate animal’s head and the animals is suspended in mid-air strangled until the setter of the noose comes along, and if not already dead dispatches it.

Many animals, however, are killed by a trap on the principle of the bow and arrow, the arrow being a large bamboo sharpened to an exceedingly fine point, the other end of the shaft being tied to a long bamboo about 12 feet in length. This long bamboo acts as a spring; one end of it is placed between two posts which have been hammered securely into the ground, the other end having the arrow attached to it. A little platform of bamboos, which cannot be detected by the eye of the animal, is then made as a rest and guide for the arrow, and when this is complete a fine cord is placed across the pathway, at the end of which is a small trigger, also made of bamboo. The long bamboo containing the arrow is seized at the arrow end and ben back to the extent of some two feet, the trigger and cord being placed in a certain way so as to hold it in this position. According to the animal to be captured, so is the arrow placed at a height that is considered sufficient to strike its unfortunate victim in the heart.

The unsuspecting animal comes prowling along the road and the slightest touch of its paw will release the trigger, and the already straining bamboo with its bamboo arrow attached will be released and with an enormous force will strike the unfortunate beast, piercing its ide and going several inches into its body. Naturally the victim gives a bound and the arrow being secured by a cord to the long bamboo will not detach itself, and the animal is freed from the arrow. The wound, however which is made, bleeding profusely, leaves a trail behind it, and if the setter of the trap has placed the position of the arrow correctly he will not have very far to follow this blood track before he finds his victim dead. If the arrow had not been attached to this bamboo, so the Lakhers (Mara) say, but been allowed to pierce its victim, and the victim to escape with the arrow sticking into it, in all probability the wound would have healed up and the trapper would have lost his price. The principle of this trap is very similar to the principle of the school boy shooting pellets of paper across the school-room from the end of his ruler while holding the other end firmly in his hand, and it goes by the name of “Kapu”. This same trap is made in various sizes, according to the animal desired to be captured, being used more frequently in the obtaining of porcupines.

Traps for elephants are made by the digging of a large pit of sufficient size to admit one of these huge creatures At the bottom of this pit a great number of sharp-pointed bamboos are struck firmly in an upright position in the ground. The top is roofed in by boughs of trees and leaves and the animals are then driven towards these traps, and on their treading upon the weak roofing it gives way and the poor animal falls headlong into the pit, the short bamboos ofttimes causing the animal great torture. Once in the trap, however, it is soon dispatched, and the bones which contain the tusks are then carried to the village to decorate the front verandah. Where the British Government, however, has power, elephant hunting is now forbidden.

The Lakhers (Mara) have a great number of smaller snares used for catching jungle fowl, peacock pheasants, black pheasants and the like which are numerous, but the general principle of them all is the bent-over sapling or bamboo, to form the power to draw the noose tight around the creature’s neck. There, however, is one other kind of trap which is often used and is formed by falling of a log of wood on the victim’s back, smashing it and wedging the victim under its heavy weight. This form is used for killing tigers, birds and even for rats, but it greatly damages game, smashing almost every bone in their bodies to splinters and bruising the flesh greatly.

Bird lime for snaring small birds is also used, and is obtained from the juice of a species of rubber tree which is found through out the country, and which when smeared on the branches of trees will secure any small bird easily, being soon dispatched by the trapper.

One other trap is worthy of mention and is used in catching jungle rats, porcupines and any boring animals. A long basket of bamboo lattice-work is made which is just sufficiently wide enough in diameter to admit of the animal passing along it. At one end it is closed, at the other end open. The open end is placed into the hole of the animals and supported by sticks of wood underneath and securely fastened. The porcupine or rat, as the case may be, on coming to the exit of its hole will observe the lattice basket, and finding no other way out will immediately commence to force its way through, believing that at the other end there is an exit. Once inside the basket it is impossible for the animal to turn. On it endeavouring to turn round, the lattice-work is plaited in such a way that it contracts and holds the body of the animal firm, making it only possible for the animal to go on, which, owing to the end being closed up, it is unable to do, and has no alternative but to wait there until its trapper dispatches it.

Jungle rats are very much appreciated by the people, who eat their flesh. Not troubling to skin the animals, they stick a skewer through their bodies, hold them over the flame of fire which burns off all the hair and chars the skin, and is a sufficient cleansing for this people, who not only eat their flesh but eat their bones and their entrails as well, as a rule. The difference between a jungle rat and house rat is this. The house rat is brown all over, while the jungle rat has a jungle rat has a snow-white belly.

There are several other species of rats in the country which are not as a rule eaten. Two are specially worthy of notice – the black rat which will kill your large fowls in a very short space of time and carry away your chicken in great numbers. The second species is the bamboo rat, which lives entirely on the roots of bamboos and is a much larger animal, generally the size of a young rabbit with long incisor teeth with which it can cut through the toughest of bamboo roots. These rats are generally coloured, but once specimen which it was our privilege to obtain was snowy white, the only specimen of its sort which we have ever seen.