Atlas the Barbary lion versus the Bengal tiger of Simla

In India, towards the end of the 19th Century, the Gaekwad of Baroda arranged a fight between a Barbary lion called 'Atlas', from the Atlas Mountains between Algeria and Morocco, and a Bengal tiger from the Indian region of Shimla, before an audience of thousands. It was to determine whether the lion or the tiger should be called "King of the Cat Family," or if the lion deserved the title "King of Beasts."[1][2]

The venue

The fight took place in an amphitheater. It had heavy logs, was open to the sky, and its arena was circular, with a diameter of about 50.00 feet (15.24 metres). Within the arena was a belt about 6.00 feet (1.83 metres) wide, lined by sheet iron to prevent the animals from escaping. The arena had seats or boxes for spectators. The Gaekwad was on a Royal box with other dignitaries.[1]

Appearance of the beasts in the arena

The beasts were shifted from their pens into wooden cages, which were then taken to the arena. After Rajput attendants left the ring, the Gaekwad pulled the ropes, which were attached to the doors of the cages. First the tiger emerged from its cage, then Atlas.[1]

Description of the beasts

The tiger was more than ten feet long, over four feet at the shoulder, had long teeth and claws, had strong shoulders, and was agile. People considered it to be the biggest man-eater that they ever saw in India, which is also home to an Asiatic variety of lion.[1][3]

Atlas looked taller at the head than the tiger, and had a large mane, legs, and paws. Atlas, or its subspecies, was described by Gettysburg Complier as the biggest or strongest of African felidae and lions, therefore larger than Southern African lions (Cape or Southeast African lions,[1][4] or Southwest African lions[5]), and Asiatic lions[1] (However, on record, the heaviest wild lion was not necessarily a Northern African lion, but a Transvaal lion that weighed 313 kg (690 lb) in 1936[6]).

Both were hungry, as their diets had been reduced from their regular intake of food, beforehand. Gettysburg Complier commented that "If the tiger was the personification of graceful strength and supple energy, the lion was the embodiment of massive power and adamantine muscle."[1]

The fight

Round One

The tiger crawled forward, crouched flat and calculated the distance for a spring, and then jumped onto Atlas. Atlas rose up on his hind legs, and crashed with the tiger. The two yelled, snarled and rolled over on the ground. They regained their feet and shook to be free. When they parted from the clinch, Atlas swung his right, clawed, paw on the tiger's head, ripping its ear, and scratching off skin. The tiger rolled off. Atlas went to get it, and swiped its paw, but the tiger managed to twist away from Atlas' paw-swipe, and escaped. Then Atlas advanced, but the tiger retreated.[1]

Round Two

The tiger jumped into the air, landing on Atlas' back, though Atlas was about 20.00 feet (6.10 metres) away. At first, Atlas looked disgusted, but then it forced the tiger to the wall of the arena. However, the tiger did not decide to escape again, rather, it ran, with its head nearly at the ground, towards Atlas' legs. Despite a crash, the tiger's head did not shake, and the two cats rose on their hind legs. For at least three minutes, they exchanged right and left paw-swipes. The tiger's paw-swipes were faster than those of Atlas, outnumbering Atlas' paw-swipes three-to-one. Atlas' paw-swipes had been heavier, inflicting deeper gashes on the tiger's hide, than those of the tiger to Atlas' hide.[1]

Both cats injured, they retreated from each other. Blood flew from their flanks. The tiger retreated to the wall, to hug it, whereas Atlas roared ferociously and stood his ground, even though blood was dripping from about twenty wounds.[1]

Round Three

After resting for a few moments, the tiger tried to circle Atlas, with Atlas looking worried, as his rushes did not stop the tiger at first. Then, sensing an opportunity, Atlas charged, but the tiger avoided the charge, and jumped onto Atlas' back again. Their bodies, bloodied and dirtied by the dust, rolled halfway across the arena. Atlas shook himself off the tiger, and delivered right swipes. One of the swipes dealt a blow to the tiger, causing it to stagger and retreat.[1]

After retreating, the tiger sat, studying how effective the previous tussle was. Atlas was mauled, but not yet killed, with two long rips on his back, having deep bites to the shoulder, which bled, and he panted hoarsely, with the wind flowing less evidently than that of the tiger.[1]

Round Four

After observing Atlas for a moment, the tiger tried circling Atlas again. Atlas rushed, facing the tiger's claws. After the tussle, the lion, running out of breath, sank to his knees. The tiger, though it looked stronger, had its stripes disappear under fast-flowing blood.[1]

Round Five

The tiger sprang onto Atlas, who now staggered. It bit Atlas' nose, then tried to bite Atlas' throat. However, the mane saved Atlas' neck, so the tiger's bite did not suffocate Atlas. Instead, as they wrestled much, the tiger managed to get hair in its mouth, and the hair interfered with the tiger's respiration, so it had to release its hold on Atlas, allowing Atlas to deliver a massive left uppercut. The uppercut caused the tiger to stumble to about 20.00 feet (6.10 metres) away.[1]

Round Six

The tiger circled Atlas like a snake. Although Atlas looked formidable and brave, he could not follow the tiger's motions. Then the tiger charged at Atlas. Atlas used his claws, but he missed the tiger, and went over with it. The tiger frantically pawed Atlas' body, using both fore and hind paws, for forty seconds. However, Atlas managed to throw the tiger off, but then Atlas tried to roar, then fell down and died.[1]

Aftermath

The Gaekwad agreed to pay 37,000 rupees, ordered that Atlas' body be buried in Royal fashion, and that the tiger was to be given a "cage of honour," in the menagerie of Baroda. He accepted that the tiger was the "King of the Cat Family," while speaking to an English Colonel called 'Maitland', and thought of a match between the tiger and another animal. Colonel Maitland, who supported the tiger, claimed to have hunted in the Rocky Mountains, and whose country features lions in symbols like the Royal Arms of England,[7] then said that the tiger was not the "King of Carnivorae," and that it could be 'whipped' by a Grizzly bear. Therefore, the Gaekwad decided to prepare the tiger for a battle with a Sierran bear weighing over 1,500.00 lb (680.39 kilograms). The preparation involved the tiger recovering from its injuries.[1][2]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 "Lion against tiger". Gettysburg Compiler. 7 February 1899. Retrieved 2016-01-30.
  2. 1 2 Lion against tiger. The Baltimore Sun. 26 January 1899. p. 3. Retrieved 2016-01-30.
  3. ↑ Breitenmoser, U., Mallon, D. P., Ahmad Khan, J. and Driscoll, C. (2008). "Panthera leo ssp. persica". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.3. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 2016-01-31.
  4. ↑ Barnett, R., Yamaguchi, N.; Barnes, I. and Cooper, A. (2006). "Lost populations and preserving genetic diversity in the lion Panthera leo: Implications for its ex situ conservation" (PDF). Conservation Genetics 7 (4): 507. doi:10.1007/s10592-005-9062-0.
  5. ↑ Haas, S.K.; Hayssen, V.; Krausman, P.R. (2005). "Panthera leo" (PDF). Mammalian Species 762: 1–11. doi:10.1644/1545-1410(2005)762[0001:PL]2.0.CO;2.
  6. ↑ Wood, The Guinness Book of Animal Facts and Feats. Sterling Pub Co Inc (1983), ISBN 978-0-85112-235-9
  7. ↑ The First Foot Guards. "Coat of Arms of King George III". footguards.tripod.com. Retrieved 7 February 2016.

See also

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