Anonymous, 1900. Football with a rhino [at Gwalior]. Dundee Evening Telegraph Saturday 1900 December 29: 5
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| Location: |
Asia - South Asia - India |
| Subject: |
Captivity |
| Species: |
Indian Rhino |
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FOOTBALL WITH RHINO. HOW SUBALTERNS MADE GOOD SPORT.
The inclusion of two harnessed rhinoceroses, ridden by postillions, among the processional steeds with which Lord Curzon was greeted by the Nawab of Junagadh in Kathiawar, was a novelty even for Indian Viceroy. But (says "Anglo-Indian" in "M.A.P.") the rhinoceros is a very favourite beast of luxury with Eastern potentates, and frequently figures in the accounts of Indian spectacular fights of wild beasts; though it is regarded that as a gladiator the rhinoceros is apt to be "disappointing, preferring to grub about in the arena for food to paying attention to the business in hand. The only thing which he is always ready to attack appears to be a man ; and there is, or used to be, a rhinoceros at the capital at Gwalior whose homicidal instincts provided much sport for subalterns quartered at Gwalior before the fort was surrendered to Scindia. The game only required two players beside the rhinoceros, and was very simple. The beast had an exceedingly violent temper, and was confined in an enclosure half as large as Leicester Square, surrounded with pillars, between which a man could slip easily, but too close for the monster's bulk to pass. Somewhere inside the enclosure his food bucket lay, and the players, taking opposite sides of the enclosure, played football with the bucket. It differed from ordinary football, because only one player could play at a time—the rhinoceros was always looking after the other—and you could never get more than one kick, because the instant the rhinoceros heard the bang he was round and after you like a locomotive. That was the chance of the other player, who, dashing in full speed after the beast, was able to get one good kick while Rhino was narrowly missing his friend at the opposite barrier. Then it was his turn to flee, with the creature after him, and, for the other to get a kick. Halftime was always called when ihe rhinoceros began to play cunning and lurked near the bucket. When we gave up the fort it may be that the rhinoceros, missing his football exercise with the officers of the garrison, went out of condition.
[The English handed the Fort in Gwalior back to the ruling Scindia family in 1886]
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Football with a rhino [at Gwalior]
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