I have often lain out on moonlight nights to watch the animals,
especially wild boars, in the jungle, and it is just as good fun as
merely going after them to kill them.
And I have caught and kept a young wild boar and a young panther, and
found them most amusing and interesting little beggars. The boar used
to live in my garden, and he never became really tame, though I got
him as a baby.
He would come to me when I called him--but very warily; he would never
come to a stranger, and a native he would "go for," and try to cut him
with his little tusks.
He used to practise the use of his tusks while turning at full speed
round an old tree stump in the garden, and he would gallop at this and
round it in a figure of eight continuously for over five minutes at a
time, and then fling himself down on his side, panting with his
exertions.
My panther was also a beautiful and delightfully playful beast, and
used to go about with me like a dog; but he was very uncertain in his
dealings with strangers.
I think one gets to know more about animals and to understand them
better by keeping them as pets first, and then going and watching them
in their wild, natural life.
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