Hunting Tigers with Katars: Fact or fiction?

[fearn]

Originally Posted by spiral

Legend has it to test bravery some Gurkha warriers would hunt a tiger with a kukri to proove thier bravery.

I understand many Mahrarajas of martial races {As the Brits called them.}put a lot of store in physical bravery as well?

Excerpt from Hunting Weapons from the Middle Ages to the Twentieth Century: By Howard L. Blackmore But originaly copied from Reverend Woods 19th century classic, "Travels in India and Nepal” by the Reverend Wood in 1896.

He also described the Gurkhas as "Brave as lions, active as monkeys, and fierce as tigers" Something not very many people aspire to today perhaps?


Spiral

Gotta love that picture, slashing with the back of the kukri...

Believable...? Not so much. It's that part about getting out of the way that strikes me as hard to do. See for example this YouTube Video, starting at 2:05.

I'm sure that if you were perfectly prepared, you could get one chop in, but not the easiest thing in the world. Note that I'm NOT questioning Gurkha bravery. Just their success rate, especially if they're going for the paw and not the head.

Then again, with tigers on the endangered species list, I think that it will be a few generations before anyone legally hunts a tiger with a kukri or with a katar. The world needs more tigers, anyway. Keeps men heroic.

Best,

F