Anonymous, 1882. The Zoological Gardens [Calcutta]: A new arrival. The Englishman (Calcutta) 17 June 1882: 3
|
|
|
|
| |
| Location: |
Captive |
| Subject: |
Captivity |
| Species: |
Sumatran Rhino |
 |
|
Englishman 17 June 1882, p.3
The Zoological Gardens [Calcutta]: A new arrival
The Begum of Ramoo, near Chittagong, has presented to the Zoological Gardens, Alipore, in the name of her son Nawar Ali Khan, a boy of eleven years of age, an adult female Rhinoceros belonging to that group of Asiatic Rhinoceroses which is distinguished by the presence of two horns on the upper surface of the facial portion of the head, and which is generally distinct from the one horned rhinoceroses of Asia, and from the two-horned species of Africa.
This rhinoceros was captured about seven months ago by the Begum’s retainers. A shikaree had gone out to hunt, and when he had reached some paddy fields he was told by the ryots who were there at work that an animal had come out from the jungle, on to the fields and that it was neither a gyal, a buffalo, nor an elephant. The Shikaree at once sent a message to the Begum asking that assistance might be sent to capture the animal, and, in a short time, a large number of people had arrived armed with sticks. The locality to which the beast had retired presented facilities for its capture, as it was a small isolated hill or tulah separated from the high range of mountains to the east. The Shikaree arranged his man between the tulah and the main range with instructions not to allow the animal to escape in that direction, but that if it made for an adjoining jheel or for an open slope towards the village it was to be allowed to pass by either of these ways, as it would be possible to noose it in the jheel and to capture it if it went to the village. The animal however refused to show itself, and did not move out of the dense jungle, but the would becaptors were aware that it was moving round the tulah and at length the shikaree by climbing a tree was able to make out that it was a rhinoceros. They then tied a number of ropes to the branches of the trees letting them hang down as nooses, in the course the animal was following. In a short time, their labour was rewarded, as it ran its head first into one noose and then into another, tearing them away, however, from the trees and in its excitement rushing out onto the open slope leading to the village, dragging the ropes after it. By this time it was somewhat exhausted, Allred fell in a muddy hollow where it was immediately surrounded, secured by ropes and ultimately dragged into the village.
Three days afterwards the male made its appearance from the same toolah, but unfortunately an effort made to capture it did not prove successful. The female rapidly became tame and tractable, and was introduced into the Zenana, where it soon established itself as a favourite, more especially with the children, who used to ride as safely on its back as the London children did on Jumbo.
Begum Latif Khatoom, when she became aware that the committee for the management of the Calcutta Gardens were in quest of rhinoceroses, with very great self-denial, public spirit and liberality made up her mind to part with the favourite of the Zenana, and telegraphed to the committee that it was her intention to present this rhinoceros to the gardens.
Through the valuable assistance of the Commissioner, Mr Lowis, the animal was brought by easy marches into Chittagong and caged, and was then shipped on board the British India steam navigation Co’s steamer Arabia, that company most liberally conveying the rhinoceros free of cost, and safely landing it in Calcutta where it arrived on the afternoon of Friday 2 June 1882. The steamer on its arrival in port was met by a boat from Messrs. Cook & Co., who superintended the disembarking of the animal, which was taken by water to the private entrance to the garden atTollah’s Nullah, when it was removed from its cage and walked quietly to the place prepared for its reception. The committee having resolved to abandon the original rhinoceros enclosure for the present, until some trees have been planted in it to afford shade. The new enclosure is situated between the hornbill house and the superintendent’s bungalow, at the south-west corner of the gardens. It is very extensive, as ample shade and a plentiful supply of water, as there are two tanks.
This rhinoceros, as already observed, is a two horned animal, and it has the tout-ensemble the and general characters offered two horned rhinoceros of the same sex, caught in the same district and very nearly the same locality to the south of Chittagong In February 1869. That a rhinoceros was taken to London by Mr W. Jamrach where it was purchased for the London Zoologicalo Gardens, Regent’s Park, but prior to its shipment from London it was for some months in Calcutta, when it was examined by Dr Anderson and described by him in the proceedings for 1872 as Rhinoceros Sumatrensis.
Dr Sclater, the secretary to the zoological Society of London, after the animal had been a short time in their gardens, at the opportunity to compare the Chittagong animal with a female two horned rhinoceros captured in Malacca. The result of his comparison let him at that time to believe that two species of this form of rhinoceros existed, and he was of the opinion that to the Malacca animal must be applied the term R.Sumatrensis and that the Chittagong animal was a new species, which he proposed to call Rhinoceros lasiotis “from the peculiar long hairs which border the outer edge of the ear conch, and which are of themselves sufficient to render the animal easily recognisable from R.Sumatrensis.”
The rhinoceros just arrived from Chittagong, however, presents several modifications of the characters in the individual named by Dr Sclater R. lasiotis, and which tend to affiliate it to the typical R.Sumatrensis. One or two of these modifications may be named. The ears have not the remarkable long drooping fringe of hair but their margins are densely clad with erect black has, and bristly hairs of the same colour of her over the whole surface, sparsely on the back and sides, but densely on the belly and on the forms of the limbs; it is also a smaller animal and of darker colour than the so-called R.lasiotis. Like it, however, there is considerable cranial breadth between the ears, and the skin is finely tubercular compared with the more coarsely tubercular skin of the two horned rhinoceros of the Malayan peninsula.
Taking into account these similarities and dissimilarities between two animals brought from the same district, the present rhinoceros in the gardens would, therefore, seem to link together the two phases of one species, separable perhaps into southern and northern race; conclusion which Dr Sclater also has more recently been disposed to adopt. It would however be very satisfactory if the committee could obtain an example of the two horned rhinoceros of the southern portion of the Malayan peninsula, and place it side-by-side with the present example of the northern race, as the comparison would be of much scientific interest. This northern race would appear to extend into Tipperah and also into Assam, as Colonel C. Napier Sturt shot, in March 1875, the two horned rhinoceros near the Gorge where the Sunkoo river leaves from the Bhutan range on the right bank of the Brahmapootra river, 40-50 miles north of Doobree. [unsigned]
Steamer Arabia, built 1863, scrapped 1893, was 1,081 tons.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prithimpassa_Family
1871 AD Nawab Ali Amjad Khan was born in Prithimpassa in the family Estate. His mother was Umraonissa Khatun.
Nawab Moulvi Ali Amjad Khan, 1871–1905 and (his sister) Latifa Banu. 1871 AD Nawab Ali Amjad Khan was born in Prithimpassa in the family Estate. His mother was Umraonissa Khatun
|
|
|
The Zoological Gardens [Calcutta]: A new arrival
File available
details
Original text on this topic: