Muhammad Iqbal Mauladad (1926–1970), nicknamed Bali, was a
big game hunter
Big-game hunting is the hunting of large game animals for meat, commercially valuable by-products (such as horns/antlers, furs, tusks, bones, body fat/oil, or special organs and contents), trophy/taxidermy, or simply just for recreation ("s ...
in Kenya.
He was born into a rich and influential family of
Kenyan Asians but, rather than joining the family engineering business, he became a
professional hunter, leading parties on
safari to hunt large animals, especially elephant. He was the first Muslim to be recognised as a
white hunter and won the
Shaw & Hunter trophy for best professional guide in 1966. He also competed in the
Safari Rally
The Safari Rally is a rally held in Kenya. It was first held in 1953 as a celebration of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. The event was part of the World Rally Championship from 1973 until 2002, before returning in 2021. It is historically r ...
, placing fourth in 1961. He died in 1970, following severe goring by a
Cape buffalo.
Early life
He came from a rich family as his father, Chaudry Mauladad, was a successful
civil engineer in East Africa.
[ He attended the Government Indian School in Nairobi and his father then taught him construction and contracting.] But, from the age of ten, he had learned to shoot a rifle and so, rather than join the family business like his brother Basheer, he chose to be a professional hunter in Kenya where he was born and spent his life.
Career
He joined the well-established business, Safariland, after World War Two and was successful as a big game hunter, leading rich clients on safari and killing many game animal
Game or quarry is any wild animal hunted for animal products (primarily meat), for recreation (" sporting"), or for trophies. The species of animals hunted as game varies in different parts of the world and by different local jurisdictions, tho ...
s, especially elephant.[ The hunters he guided included the King and Queen of Nepal and the Governor of Colorado, ]Teller Ammons
Teller Ammons (December 3, 1895 – January 16, 1972) was an American attorney and politician who served as the 28th Governor of Colorado from 1937 to 1939. He was the first Colorado governor to be born in the state.
Early life
On December 3, ...
. British shooting-brake
Shooting brake (sometimes mis-identified as "shooting break") is a car body style which originated in the 1890s as a horse-drawn wagon used to transport shooting parties with their equipment and game.
The first automotive shooting brakes were ...
s were converted into safari cars for these shooting parties and he designed a lightweight rifle rack for these which was made in Naroibi for him and most of the other hunters by the gunsmiths Wali Mohamed & Co.[
Though he was from a Kenyan Asian background, he was admitted to the East African Professional Hunter's Association which was normally only open to white hunters.] He was the first Muslim to be recognised in this way.[ His closest colleague in the hunting business was another Asian, Ikram Hassan, whose business was African Hunting Safaris, and they hunted elephant together in the coastal regions of Kenya.]
He was a large, powerful man, weighing 250 pounds and standing over six feet in his prime.[ He had a distinctive moustache and a warm, extrovert manner which made him popular with clients and the other hunters.] He liked joking and jazz, racehorses and rifles, fast cars and food, women and whisky – his favourite was Johnny Walker Black Label.[ Besides hunting, he was also an enthusiastic ]cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by str ...
player and rally
Rally or rallye may refer to:
Gatherings
* Demonstration (political), a political rally, a political demonstration of support or protest, march, or parade
* Pep rally, an event held at a United States school or college sporting event
Sport ...
driver.[ He took part in the ]Safari Rally
The Safari Rally is a rally held in Kenya. It was first held in 1953 as a celebration of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. The event was part of the World Rally Championship from 1973 until 2002, before returning in 2021. It is historically r ...
four times.[ In 1961, he and Californian doctor, Lee Talbot, placed fourth, driving a ]Humber Super Snipe
The Humber Super Snipe is a car which was produced from 1938 to 1967 by British-based Humber Limited.
Pre-war Super Snipe
The Super Snipe was introduced in October 1938, derived by combining the four-litre inline six-cylinder engine from the ...
over 3,000 miles. He also took part in the 1956 production of the movie '' Bhowani Junction'' on location in Lahore
Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city ...
.
He was awarded the prestigious Shaw & Hunter prize for leading a client, Donald Harris, to the finest trophy of the year on October 4, 1966. This was an Oribi
The oribi (; ''Ourebia ourebi'') is a small antelope found in eastern, southern and western Africa. The sole member of its genus, it was described by the German zoologist Eberhard August Wilhelm von Zimmermann in 1783. While this is the only ...
antelope whose horns measured 7 inches, beating the previous world record of 6¼ inches.[ The small size of the antelope was incongruous because Bali was himself known for his prowess in hunting elephants with enormous ]ivory
Ivory is a hard, white material from the tusks (traditionally from elephants) and teeth of animals, that consists mainly of dentine, one of the physical structures of teeth and tusks. The chemical structure of the teeth and tusks of mammals i ...
tusks of up to 152 pounds.[
Hunting was dangerous as he was once mauled by a leopard][ and finally gored by a buffalo in ]Kibwezi
Kibwezi is a town in Makueni County, Kenya.
Kibwezi town is the headquarters of Kibwezi division, one of 15 administrative divisions in Makueni County. The division has a population of 80,236, of whom 4,695 are classified urban. The division has ...
.[ The buffalo inflicted injuries which ruptured his liver and, despite treatment and recuperation, complications subsequently led to his death in 1970.][
]
See also
* List of famous big game hunters
This list of famous big-game hunters includes sportsmen who gained fame largely or solely because of their big-game hunting exploits. The members of this list either hunted big game for sport, to advance the science of their day, or as professio ...
References
External links
Bali Mauladad – The Legendary Hunter of the 60's
- biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mauladad, Bali
Hunters
Kenyan Muslims
Kenyan people of Asian descent
Rally drivers
1970 deaths
1926 births
Deaths due to buffalo attacks
Kenyan people of Indian descent
Alumni of Jamhuri High School