MOHAMED IQBAL MAULADAD, an Asian Professional Hunter.
AFRICAN LIFE — AUGUST 1958 16
Safari Profile
ASIAN HUNTER
We welcome to our series MOHAMED IQBAL MAULADAD,
an Asian Professional Hunter, who this month went out with the
King and Queen of Nepal on their East African Safari.
|
M |
OHAMED IQBAL MAULADAD doesn’t have to hunt; he is a man of means . . . he does it because, like so many more, he loves the life.
A British Pakistani, born in Nairobi 32 years ago, he is the son of the late Mr. Mauladad, who was a well-known building contractor.
You can’t mistake Mohamed Iqbal; once seen never forgotten. Any man 6′ 1″ in his socks, and weighing 2501b. deserves the soubriquet, Hefty”. He has black hair, almost black eyes, and a near R.A.F.-type moustache.
At ten, he got used to a .22 on target and birds, and more than once got ‘em on the wing — which is not bad going for a rifle. He started hunting as a sportsman 16 years ago.
Starting with buffalo, he went after all the other big and dangerous game. He still likes a buffalo hunt “as they give you a run for your money”. In 1952, he turned Professional Hunter.
He was, in fact, the first Asian to apply for membership of the East African Professional Hunters’ Association, and is hoping to be elected to that august body in the near future.
There are only three Asian Professional Hunters: Mohamed Iqbal, S. I. Hassan of African Hunting Safaris, Mombasa, and Wali Mohamed of Nairobi.
Halle Studio- Bali Mauladad
Irrespective of any leanings Mohamed may have had towards his present vocation, Papa Mauladad made him learn the
business of building and contracting when he left the Government Indian High School, now called the Duke of Gloucester’s. So when not hunting, he has plenty to interest him in the family business.
He has two main hobbies: Motor Racing for which he is very well known, he has won 21 cups, and Animal Photography. His favorite cameras are a 35 mm Contax (still) and a Pallard Bolex (Cine).
Nasty leopard
Subjects he concentrates on photographing are elephant, lion and rhinoceros; he has most trouble with the buffalo due to their wonderful eyesight and their exceptionally keen hearing and smell.
“The nastiest customer,” he says, “is the Leopard, as it will frequently attack without warning even when it is not wounded and without being provoked. It has a sinuous movement coupled with lightning speed in attack; it is capable of leaping 30 feet, and is always vindictive and vicious.”
He has had more than his share of close shaves. Last year in the Mutha country Kitui, he came on an Elephant standing slightly aside from the herd. A friend who was with him put his foot on a dried stick. As the crack of the stick sounded the elephant came straight for him Like an express train.
“He came so fast,” said Mohamed, “he was almost on us before I knew he was coming”. The Elephant was about 50 paces away when he first saw him, and he dropped him about 15 paces away with a frontal, third wrinkle shot, as it is known, between the eyes.
On examination, it was found the Elephant lad four poisoned arrows sticking into his body, so no wonder he was kali.
Another time he and his client nearly “had” it. He was out with Dr. Charles B. Stacey, of Pineville, Kentucky, in 1955. Anyway let Iqbal tell it …
“We were driving along the road towards camp after the day’s hunt, and I was slowing
AFRICAN LIFE — AUGUST 1958 17
down, when I noticed an Elephant calf on the left side of the road. It had got separated from its mother who was on the other side of the road.
The cow elephant became agitated, frightened for the safety of its calf, and enraged at the noise of the approaching car which she instinctively recognized as ‘man danger’.
“Without warning she came straight for the vehicle, just as I was about to put on the brakes, and got her trunk right into the front seat where I and Dr. Stacey were sitting. Realizing our danger, I stepped on the accelerator and we were off.
Enraged animal
“That we were only just in time was instanced by the fact that the cow tore off an upright angle-iron from the safari car just behind the cab as we moved off. The enraged animal followed us at a fair pace for about four or five hundred yards before she turned to her young.”
On another occasion when Mohamed came very near, when he was out with the famous Simba Mbili, Abdul Hamid Khan, who earned this name by killing two lions with one bullet many years before at Mtito Ndei. Again, let him speak for himself.
“We had wounded a buffalo which left the herd and veered off. The tracker led and we followed close behind for about two miles. The beast had travelled along the edge of the thick bush, turned in and back-tracked its own trail.
“Inside the bush, hidden from view and unsuspected, there it waited. Suddenly I heard a grunt from my left, and it charged. I tried to jump out of the way — but he was too near and he hooked his left horn into the cuff of my trouser leg, and dragged me for about ten yards.
At this point, the trouser leg gave way, and the ‘buff’ went on. As I picked myself up, the animal realized it had lost its victim, and turning round charged back at me again. I fired with my .500 Webley and Scott and hit it just below the boss with both bullets, as I fired both barrels at once.
Unusual — and rather frightening — shot of a rhino together with friends. The two birds seem quite nconcerned over the presence of the ferocious beast. Brian Herne
Gushing blood
“She died on the spot but the impetus of the charge brought the animal to my feet and I was covered with the blood gushing from the wound in its head. The explosion of the two barrels tore my thumb open, but I didn’t notice that at the time.”
Another exciting incident occurred last year at Maji Ya Moto in the Narok area of the Masai country.
“I was conducting a Judge Hamden from the Lebanon. We left Camp at the rising of the sun to visit a bait we had left for lion. As we got there we saw a magnificent black-maned lion, feeding I told my client to shoot; he did, but only wounded the lion which ran off into thick scrub. ” With the help of beaters and a couple of game scouts,we forced the lion from cover. It came with a rush clawed one game scout in the buttocks, diverted, attacked another scout, and suddenly as if sensing I was the cause the trouble came straight for me. I shot it in the teeth with my .416, the bullet breaking its neck.”
One can never blame a new hand to Safari getting the “Jitters”. One client Mohamed took out got them so badly that he asked him to sleep on the verandah of his tent. Iqbal obliged, but the thought never entered the client’s mind that — “lions can also come in the back way!”
One of the most ludicrous situations happened when a wounded rhinoceros charged pounding, grunting, squealing, and — almost breathing fire, he was so angry. Operation “scramble” was instantaneous and automatic.
One boy climbed a near-by tree and the second immediately behind him, in his panic, grabbed the ankles of the first. Down came the two to the ground almost on top of the rhino, which cleared off in a hurry, unused to seeing black bodies falling from Heaven like Manna
Bad safaris? “Yes,” said Iqbal. “Once only.” He went on: “My client turned out to be ‘trigger happy’. I stuck it for three weeks out of six, and then gave it up and refused to continue the safari.”
No hunter worthy of his name will “play ball” with anyone who is ‘trigger-happy’ and must shoot at everything he sees, whether it is worth shooting, whether it is near or far, male, female, young or old, usually wounding ten to each kill.
As far as preference for guns goes, Mohamed prefers a heavy .475 double barrel or a .416 magazine rifle; for general purposes and “the pot,” an 8×60 (Bombe). For birds, of course, the 12 bore shot-gun is always around.
So far, his most interesting client has been Richard C. Heck, the largest tobacco broker in the U.S.A. Richard had been given the new .458 Winchester, by the makers, to try out and report on.
His most important clients? “Mr. & Mrs. M. B. Shah” as they were known when travelling to East Africa recently. Their Majesties, the King and Queen of Nepal, were on safari — incognito.
Doesn’t pay
His most unusual client was one who couldn’t sit still for a moment; he was like a caged leopard. He was a salesman from the states.
“Are clients generous?” I asked. Mohamed was philosophical on this point to the point of cynicism, and remarked: “No, I guess not. If they hadn’t always been counting their cents, they wouldn’t have become millionaires.”
A question that has worried many a would-be Professional Hunter is “Is it a paying game?”
Again Mohamed’s practical philosophy revealed itself as he summed up:-
“No! for the simple reason that a hunter is only normally OUT (employed) on safari for a few months in the year. Unless he has another vocation to fall back on when he returns (and nobody wants to employ a person for the convenient few weeks now and again), the hunter finds himself with time on his hands and little or nothing to do.
Even if he doesn’t get into mischief, he certainly spends more money than he would if he had work to do each day, “It’s no job for a married man . . . after all, who wants a husband who is never home?”
For many years, Mohamed went out on his own, for he has little need to work for others, being of independent means; occasionally, he teamed up with another hunter for a safari. For the past year, he has operated to a great extent with one of the Nairobi safari firms.
“Why do you keep on hunting, when you have no need for of the money?” I asked.
“Oh just because I love the open air, the wilds, the great open spaces. I am a keen shot, and very interested in Game Photography.
AFRICAN LIFE — AUGUST 1958 18
“I love the ever changing scene of our Country, the humidity of the coastal areas, the crisp cold of the mountain regions, and revel in the dry heat of the lower and more arid inland areas. And I love animals . . . SATISFIED?”
“Yes!” I replied.
Great accomplishment keep it Sabah ……………..
This is the beginning of a great adventure for all of us. It is reliving the past and for those who were not part of this personality’s life, it will be most interesting for them to experience the essence of an era gone by! For those who are his descendants, you will have great stories to tell to future generations. Great work Sabah…keep it going!
I would like to know if there any book written Bali,and if so where can buy copy for the book.