Over 18–28 December 1911,

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Qu ...

of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

took part in a hunt in the

Kingdom of Nepal The Kingdom of Nepal ( ne, नेपाल अधिराज्य), also known as the Gorkha Empire ( ne, गोरखा अधिराज्य) or Asal Hindustan ( ne, असल हिन्दुस्तान)(), was a Hindu king ...

as part of an expedition organised by the

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

of Nepal,

Chandra Shumsher Jang Bahadur Rana Field-Marshal Maharaja Sri Teen Chandra Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana (8 July 1863 – 26 November 1929) was the Prime Minister of Nepal from the Rana dynasty. He served in this capacity from 27 June 1901 to his death in 1929, after he successfully ...

. The king had wanted to visit Nepal in 1905 but due to the ongoing cholera pandemic, he could not enter the region. The crew killed 39 tigers, 18 rhinoceros, 4 bears, and several porcupines and leopards over the course of the 10-day expedition. During the hunt, the king knighted Chandra Shumsher with the

Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, o ...

Planning

The British royals started to hunt in Nepal in 1876 after Nepali Prime Minister

Jung Bahadur Rana Maharaja Jung Bahadur Kunwar Ranaji, (born Bir Narsingh Kunwar ( ne, वीर नरसिंह कुँवर), 18 June 1817; popularly known as Jung Bahadur Rana (JBR, ne, जङ्गबहादुर राणा)) () belonging to the ...

invited Albert Edward (later King Edward VII) to an expedition which killed about 23 tigers in two weeks. Later many foreign dignitaries were invited by the

Rana dynasty Rana dynasty ( ne, राणा वंश, IAST=Rāṇā vaṃśa , ) is a Chhetri dynasty that imposed totalitarianism in the Kingdom of Nepal from 1846 until 1951, reducing the Shah monarch to a figurehead and making Prime Minister and othe ...

, including Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria,

George Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston George Nathaniel Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston, (11 January 1859 – 20 March 1925), styled Lord Curzon of Kedleston between 1898 and 1911 and then Earl Curzon of Kedleston between 1911 and 1921, was a British Conservative statesman ...

, and

Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale (Albert Victor Christian Edward; 8 January 1864 – 14 January 1892) was the eldest child of the Prince and Princess of Wales (later King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra) and grandson of the ...

. In 1905, Prince George, the future

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. Born duri ...

, King of the United Kingdom, wanted to visit the

for a hunt but due to the ongoing 1899–1923 cholera pandemic he could not. In 1911, Prime Minister of Nepal

invited George V to participate in big game hunting in

Terai , image =Terai nepal.jpg , image_size = , image_alt = , caption =Aerial view of Terai plains near Biratnagar, Nepal , map = , map_size = , map_alt = , map_caption = , biogeographic_realm = Indomalayan realm , global200 = Terai-Duar savanna a ...

. Preparing for the hunt, Chandra Shumsher spent months collecting 645 elephants and bullocks and tied them in jungles to lure the tigers. The King of Nepal

Prithvi Bir Bikram Shah Prithvi Bir Bikram Shah ( ne, श्री ५ महाराजाधिराज पृथ्वी वीर विक्रम शाह देव ) (18 August 1875 – 11 December 1911) was King of Nepal from 1881 until 1911. Among the mo ...

died on 11 December but the preparations did not stop. Thousands of elephant beaters were employed "to drive the game toward his waiting guns". About this event, George V told

Charles Hardinge, 1st Baron Hardinge of Penshurst Charles Hardinge, 1st Baron Hardinge of Penshurst, (20 June 1858 – 2 August 1944) was a British diplomat and statesman who served as Viceroy and Governor-General of India from 1910 to 1916. Background and education Hardinge was the second ...

: "As probably this will be the last and only time in my life when I shall get big game shooting of this kind, I naturally want to have as many days in Nepal as possible". The Terai region of Nepal was protected from hunting's by rulers of Nepal but since 1846 it was allowed if the person obtained a permit from

Maharaja Mahārāja (; also spelled Maharajah, Maharaj) is a Sanskrit title for a "great ruler", "great king" or " high king". A few ruled states informally called empires, including ruler raja Sri Gupta, founder of the ancient Indian Gupta Empire, a ...

h or the Prime Minister. A few specimens from Nepal were shown in international museums such as

The Royal College of Surgeons of England The Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England) is an independent professional body and registered charity that promotes and advances standards of surgical care for patients, and regulates surgery and dentistry in England and Wales. The ...

, and

Indian Museum, Kolkata The Indian Museum in Central Kolkata, West Bengal, India, also referred to as the Imperial Museum at Calcutta in colonial-era texts, is the ninth oldest museum in the world, the oldest and largest museum in India as well as in Asia. It has rare ...

The hunt

After attending the Delhi Durbar, George V and Queen Mary travelled via boat and train from

Patna Patna ( ), historically known as Pataliputra, is the capital and largest city of the state of Bihar in India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Patna had a population of 2.35 million, making it the 19th largest city in India. ...

and Bankipore to

Bhikhna Thori railway station Bhikhna Thori railway station (भिखना ठोरी रेलवे स्टेशन) is a small terminus railway station on Narkatiaganj–Bhikhna Thori branch line in West Champaran district, Bihar. Its code is BKF. It serves Bhikh ...

on 16 December. They arrived in Nepal at 10 am on Monday, 18 December, where the king was greeted by Chandra Shumsher. George then travelled from Bhikhna Thori railway station by car to

Thori Thori ( ne, ठोरी) is a rural municipality in Parsa District in Province No. 2 of Nepal Nepal (; ne, :ne:नेपाल, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकत ...

, Nepal. There was a large encampment for the king and his 12,000 followers, and there were roughly 2,000 attendees. During the hunt, every night baits were placed to lure tigers. On Tuesday, 19 December, information about a tiger went out so the team visited the place and the king killed the animal. Later that afternoon, one tiger and two rhinoceros were killed by Charles Cust, Colin Keppel, and Horace Smith-Dorrien respectively. On Wednesday, 20 December, three separate groups went to look for tigers (two) and rhinoceros (one). The same day, the king killed a female tiger, and the hunters disturbed a rhino cow and calf, that charged at the elephants. After lunch, it was found that the next ring of elephants contained four tigers "roaring and snarling in a blood-curdling chorus, the tigers charged madly from side to side while the surrounding elephants trampled and trumpeted and the

mahout A mahout is an elephant rider, trainer, or keeper. Mahouts were used since antiquity for both civilian and military use. Traditionally, mahouts came from ethnic groups with generations of elephant keeping experience, with a mahout retaining h ...

s screamed and shouted". The king killed all four tigers. While the group was returning to camp, a big rhinoceros appeared suddenly out of a bush and the king killed it with two bullets. The same day, a bear was shot by Captain Bryan Godfrey-Faussett and Smith-Dorrien, and Faussett and Keppel both killed a tiger. On Thursday, 21 December, George V killed four tigers and a bear, and a rhinoceros was shot by Faussett. The next day, the king killed three tigers in the field. A rhinoceros ran from the grass and was shot by Charles Cust; the king missed it but it was killed by Faussett.

Lord Durham Earl of Durham is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1833 for the Whig politician and colonial official John Lambton, 1st Baron Durham. Known as "Radical Jack", he played a leading role in the passing of the Gr ...

, Lord Charles Fitzmaurice,

Derek Keppel Lieutenant Colonel Sir Derek William George Keppel (7 April 1863 – 26 April 1944) was a member of the British Royal Household. Early life Keppel was a son of the 7th Earl of Albemarle and was educated at Charterhouse School. He joined the ...

, Colin Keppel, and

Henry McMahon Sir Arthur Henry McMahon (28 November 1862 – 29 December 1949) was a British Indian Army officer and diplomat who served as the High Commissioner in Egypt from 1915 to 1917. He was also an administrator in British India and served twice as ...

killed seven tigers and a Himalayan bear. On Saturday, the team moved to Kasra and on Sunday, 24 December, Rev. J. Godber led a divine service for Christmas Eve. Later that afternoon, the king went to inspect animal collections from Nepal with

Kaiser Shumsher Jang Bahadur Rana Field Marshal Sir Kaiser Shumsher Jang Bahadur Rana, GBE (8 January 1892 – 7 June 1964) was a field marshal in the Royal Nepalese Army. He was the third son of Maharaja Sir Chandra Shamsher Jang Bahadur Rana, GCB, GCSI, GCMG, GCVO the fifth P ...

. George V saw various animals including a young elephant, a rhinoceros calf, and a wild ass which were sent to the zoo in London, and various Nepali arts were shown as well which are now housed in the

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...

. In the evening, the king knighted Chandra Shumsher with the

. On Monday, 25 December, George V shot a tiger and then killed two rhinos. The group led by the Duke of Teck killed three tigers and a rhinoceros. The hunting area had been disturbed because out of 60 baits only one tiger was trapped and was killed by Lord Durham, and the king shot one rhinoceros the same day. During the last days of the hunts, on Wednesday, the king killed one female tiger which was his 20th kill. Thursday, 28 December, was the last day of the hunt; that day the king and the Duke of Teck shot a tiger at the same time. The crew travelled by car to Bhikhna Thori railway station where a train was waiting for them; while going to the station, the king killed his 21st tiger. The team reportedly killed a total of 39 tigers, 18 rhinoceros, 4 bears, and several porcupines and leopards over the course of ten days. George V killed 21 tigers, 8 rhinoceros, and 1 bear. It is not known how all the trophies were distributed but four of the tiger skins were given to national museums across the United Kingdom – London, Edinburgh, Cardiff, and Dublin – and four to provincial museums – Exeter, Norwich, Leicester, and Bristol. A living rhinoceros was given to the king on 24 December; it was kept in the

Zoological Garden, Alipore The Zoological Garden, Alipore (also informally called the Alipore Zoo or Kolkata Zoo) is India's oldest formally stated zoological park (as opposed to royal and British menageries) and a big tourist attraction in Kolkata, West Bengal. It has b ...

, then on 1 April 1912 it was moved to the Zoological Gardens in London. British diplomat and naturalist

Brian Houghton Hodgson Brian Houghton Hodgson (1 February 1800 or more likely 1801 – 23 May 1894) was a pioneer naturalist and ethnologist working in India and Nepal where he was a British Resident. He described numerous species of birds and mammals from the Himala ...

documented over 560 species of birds (with 9,500 specimens), 900 mammals, and 80 reptiles.

Notable attendees

Legacy

Sanjib Chaudhary, writing in 2018 for Online Khabar, noted that it was "the most barbaric and horrific hunting trip". In 2015, Sankarshan Thakur reported that the hunting lodge built for the occasion was now being used as "an abandoned gambling den". The photographs taken during the hunt are reportedly valued at £2,000. Where most of the hunt took place was turned into the first national park in Nepal

Chitwan National Park , iucn_category = II , location = Central Terai of Nepal , established = 1973 , nearest_city = Bharatpur , map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#India#South Asia , relief = 1 , label = Chitwan National Park , label_position = top , coordina ...

in 1973. In 1922, George V's son Edward, Prince of Wales, went to Nepal to hunt. There he killed his first rhinoceros and tiger. The prince was presented with many animals and birds, including baby elephant, tiger and rhino calf which were kept at the Victoria Gardens, Bombay, then moved to the London Zoo.

References

External links

* {{George V History of hunting George V Mary of Teck History of Nepal 1911 in Nepal Hunting in Nepal