David Bassil Hunt (1934 – 22 February 1985) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

ornithologist Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the "methodological study and consequent knowledge of birds with all that relates to them." Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and th ...

who worked mostly on the

Isles of Scilly The Isles of Scilly (; kw, Syllan, ', or ) is an archipelago off the southwestern tip of Cornwall, England. One of the islands, St Agnes, is the most southerly point in Britain, being over further south than the most southerly point of th ...

, an

archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands, or sometimes a sea containing a small number of scattered islands. Examples of archipelagos include: the Indonesian Arch ...

off the south west coast of England. He was killed by a

tiger The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living Felidae, cat species and a member of the genus ''Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily pr ...

, the first European to suffer this fate for many decades.Flumm, D. S. "Obituary". In Rogers, M. J. (ed.) (1985) ''Isles of Scilly Bird Report 1984''. Cornwall Bird Watching and Preservation Society.

Life

Born in 1934 in Devonport, and given the middle name of Bassil, which was his mother's surname before his parents' marriage,"Hunt, David B, mother's maiden name Bassil" in ''Register of Births for Devonport Registration District'', vol. 5b (1934), p. 432 Hunt was brought up on the Yealm estuary and educated at

Gresham's School Gresham's School is a public school (English independent day and boarding school) in Holt, Norfolk, England, one of the top thirty International Baccalaureate schools in England. The school was founded in 1555 by Sir John Gresham as a free g ...

, Norfolk. In 1954 he began to study art, then went to Germany to work as a jazz

trombonist The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate ...

. On returning to England, he worked as a horticulturalist, which in 1964 took him to the Island Hotel on Tresco,

, where he was hired as gardener. He lived in the Islands for many years, also working in the summer as an international

birdwatching Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device like binoculars or a telescope, by ...

tour guide.

Death

In February 1985, Hunt was killed by a

Bengal tiger The Bengal tiger is a population of the '' Panthera tigris tigris'' subspecies. It ranks among the biggest wild cats alive today. It is considered to belong to the world's charismatic megafauna. The tiger is estimated to have been present i ...

Jim Corbett National Park Jim Corbett National Park is a national park in India located in the Nainital district of Uttarakhand state. The first national park in India, it was established in 1936 during the British Raj and named ''Hailey National Park'' after William ...

Nainital district Nainital district is a district in Kumaon division which is a part of Uttarakhand state in India. The headquarters is at Nainital. Nainital District is located in Kumaon Division, and is located in the lower Himalayas. Haldwani is the larges ...

Uttarakhand Uttarakhand ( , or ; , ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; the official name until 2007), is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the "Devbhumi" (literally 'Land of the Gods') due to its religious significance and ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

, while leading a bird-spotting tour there. Later in the year his autobiography, ''Confessions of a Scilly Birdman'', was published. As a result of his death, visitors are now forbidden to walk in the Jim Corbett National Park at any time unless they are accompanied by a certified park guide.

Life

Death

References

Further reading