18 February 2009

Lock, stock and barrel

Standing proudly beside the lifeless tiger, gloriously feeling like an English aristocrat claiming his game trophy as a symbol of valor and prestige. But taming the wild beasts within is almost as exasperating and yet another battle to fight for.

...................................................................................................................

Looking at that rustic photo of me and the tiger, I just can't wipe the smile off my face. I can still vividly remember the proud feeling of standing over the mighty but then-lifeless beast, holding my father's unloaded gun and posing for that momentous photo shot. The triumphant feeling was probably similar to the feeling of blood-gushing adrenalin when a headhunter beheading their enemy's head. Nope...that was too gross. It was more to a sweet memory of an eight years old schoolboy, having the trust of his proud father to guard the lifeless tiger.

That was not the first time though I had that same feeling engulfing me. That same feeling I had every time I were to be at close proximity with these wild beasts or when I came face to face with the same species at my office. You know, that beastly beings that roaming mercilessly, looking for their helpless prey down the corridor.

This is not about the poaching adventure I had during my adolescent years. Tiger is a protected animal and an endangered species (This put them in the same league as prolific writers in our organization). Their numbers is dwindling fast all over the world. If there is no continuous effort to conserve this beautiful animal, our next generation to come will think that a Bengal big cat is as docile as their Persian kitty pet.

That photo was taken in Kemaman, Terengganu circa 1976. It was a normal scene every time my father, who was a 'pegawai mergastua' at the time, coming back from one of his official duty from the deep jungle in the rural area. In almost all occasions, he will bring back with him his game 'trophies'. Some can be very cute life specimens from the other wild species, which later became my pet for a short period of time before officials from his department took away my pet for their safe keeping. If my memory is still good, among the long list of interesting pets that I have was a baby sun bear, a porcupine, 'siamang' and 'mawas', a tiger cub and mousedeers to be exact.

Whenever, my father went out into the jungle, which could last for several days, I can sensed my mother's anxiety, from the somber look on her face. Suddenly, there was no more blabbering to our mischievous activities. I knew, she was very worried and praying for my father's safety. Once I overheard my father related to my mother the story of his junior colleague, during one of his tiger's stake-out (a tree ran, usually a few yard from a carcass previously attacked by a tiger), came down from their tree ran for a midnight wee. In split seconds, an injured tiger leaped out from nowhere and attacked the man. My father and his other colleagues gunned down the tiger, thus saved the poor fellow from becoming a glaring headline in the local newspaper.

I still remember especially during the monsoon seasons, when migratory birds flocked the wet paddy fields or resting on the nipah tree lining the river near my kampong in Terengganu, my father will take me and my younger brother for a river cruise with our grandfather's boat to shoot few birds with his shot gun. It was almost like an annual ritual, a father and sons get together thing. The sound of the gun shot was so thunderous I have to close my ears with both hands. The delectable taste of these birds (we called the white bird 'burong kuto' and 'itik air' for birds that settled on the paddy fields) was awesome.

That was 28 years ago, but even the taste is something that I would still longing for, I wouldn't eat the bird now as the H5N1 is far more precarious. Once when I was considerably stronger, my father taught me to shoot squirrels that infested on the fruits of our villagers. Instead I shot many coconut on the tree as my practice and this really enraged my grandfathers as it turned out most of the coconut trees were his :)

My father has long retired from his service and surrendered the gun to the authority. I've never had any chance to get my hand on the gun since then. Spending a moment or two with my father, some time feeling like a predator hunting for its prey was my lifetime memorable experience. So precious!

50 comments:

a.b geldofg said...

wow!...kagum aku

lavidalabelle said...

drSam~ wht n experience. bestnya dpt pengalaman begitu kan.

DrSam said...

ab geldofg,
hi...hi..kau masih berjaga malam macam burung hantu juga rupanya :)

i.am.belle,
pengalaman sekali dalam hidup memang payah dilupakan.

a.b geldofg said...

aku bkan mcm brung hntu....tapi burung hntu yg mcm aku

DrSam said...

ab geldofg,
aiseh...terlupa aku. Betul tu!

Faisal Admar said...

i am afraid to see animal coated with blood. it will give me great nightmare!

daddy used to follow his friend hunting birds and porcupine. when i was a little kid, i really wish to be a vegetarian for some reasons.

hmm.

cendawanintim said...

lorrrrrrrr, ada gambo sorang rupa2nyer....

naper tak masukkan skali citer time awetkan binatang2 tuh...lagi syiok xperience tuh...time letak garam ngan kulit2 yang dilapah then bila bukak tudung tempat simpan tu, ulat juta2 gok makan!

this n3 makes me missing my childhood very much!rindu nak kelek peluru melingkar di pinggang..dan rindu tuk kejo sama2 burung 'ayaman' kat sawah2 padi n tupai2 jatuh ke bumi...huhuhuhu

gman said...

wow doctor.
you looking very proud in that photo.haha...

what an experience...
rindunye kampung halaman~ohoho

DrSam said...

Faisal,
We really get used to see all those gross sight, it became a norm those days. porcupine meat can be very tasty too.

cendawanintim,
memang ada lagi beberapa foto bersama harimau. cuma yang kat Dungun tak ada dalam simpanan. Loket kuku rimau tu ada lagi ke? Memang banyak lagi cerita kalau nak dikongsi berkenaan haiwan ni dan kerja 'taxordermist'. mungkin cerita lain kali. Haaa..haaa....ayamang! sedap ah.

gman,
yes, proud indeed.

Anonymous said...

If my memory is still good, among the long list of interesting pets that I have was a baby sun bear, a porcupine, 'siamang' and 'mawas', a tiger cub and mousedeers to be exact.

yang tu best...tapi mawas pun ade ke dr.sam? or was that what we call baby gorilla?
err
sama ke
hehe
siamang tu camne lak?

Anonymous said...

a very great experience..the closest i can get was by going to the zoo...ahaks

besi said...

dr sam........tabik spring la mana leh tgk rimau selalu tanpa kandang
hheheheh

tapi mmg rasa hebat la kalau saya beraksi mcm dr sam...

x said...

Oh Doc suka pistol-senapang la ni? Ah, boys will always be boys :) Atok saya dulu ada pistol jugak, tapi BB gun je. Hehe.

patungcendana said...

kau pernah gi dungun...aku lahir kat dungun tau...hehe

ocw said...

Bro,

Sekarang ada harimau yang betul kat Batu Arang. Boleh kita pergi memburu nanti. Saya ada satu idea, bawa GURU kat sana dan tolak dia masuk gaung harimau..........kua....kua...kua.......GURU is history.......earth is finally save from the evil being......

DrSam said...

PJ selamba,
mawas dan siamang dua-duanya sejenis monyet. dua-dua comel dan manja betul. yang sedihnya, dua-dua mati tak lama selepas dibawa pulang. mungkin rindu kat ibu mereka yang mati ditimpa balak (diambil dari kawasan pembalakan)

Dino,
Have not been to our Zoo for quite some time :0

besi,
memang zaman budak-budak teruja betul bila tiap kali ayah pulang dari tugasan, sebab dah tahu mesti ada buah tangan istimewa menanti. Lepas tu, ramai 'wartawan' akan datang mencari berita.

Zatil,
Agaknya lah tu. Atok saya pun suka sangat layan saya masa kecil-kecil dengan buat senapang dari samada kayu, buluh atau bemban.

patungcendana,
Dungun menjadi perhentian pertama dalam siri perantauan ayah dari Kuala Terengganu. Masa tu masih kecil sangat. 4-5 tahun juga di sana. Rumah quarter dekat Astaka (ada lagi ke?). Seronok duduk kat Dungun sebab tiap-tiap hari boleh main pantai.

ekha-bella said...

I tagged u. haha..read my blog!

patungcendana said...

tau takpe...rumah arwah nenek aku dekat dengan pantai...sampai sekarang tiap2 tahun kita orang balik dungun...best...

rumah quater...ada lagi...

DrSam said...

ekha@bella,
seram sejuk terus badan :) Insyaallah akan dilunaskan.

patungcendana,
lama benar tak singgah disitu. paling jauh tersasar ialah Sura Gate, itu pun isi petrol kereta ketika pulang ke K. Terengganu hujung tahun lepas. Banyak kenangan indah ketika di Dungun. Cari remis, main obor-obor, Tanjong Jara...nostalgia pula.

Anonymous said...

Wow! The photo is priceless! What a precious experience & memories!

Unfortunately our children now plug into the world of TV, Online game, Wii, ipod, ps2, ps3... I don't think they will ever have such wonderful experience in their life, probably they can experience it in watching Youtube....

MariaFaizal said...

I agree with Daniel.What a priceless snap. The closest I could get to a tiger (lifeless or very much alive :) is by going to the Zoo or Safari.

But I love all animals & not sure how I feel when I see the lifeless tiger. I might cry thinking that he/she might have offsprings of its own. sob sob sob...

P/S : I was ONE at the time you were in the pix.ho ho ho...

C you DrSam *wink*

DrSam said...

Daniel,
Yes I am very much pity them and their generation. There is so much they have missed and going to miss in their life.

MariaFaizal,
I would have felt the same now if I were to look at that lifeless soul again.

The plan. Expecting you answer as well :)

Anonymous said...

wooo..
best gila la DrSam..
part coconut 2 lwk skit..
hehe..

precious memory rite..
akn buat kte tsenyum je klau fkir blk..

DrSam said...

Bro jon,
I thought you are an ardent fan of Sun Tzu...know your enemy well first bro...

DrSam said...

philoColy,
lagi haru bila tertembak bumbung anjung rumah atuk. kita simpan memori indah selagi jasad dikandung badan.

Sally said...

DrSam,
the killing part is a bit "eeuww" for me..
the shooting part is a bit "harsh" for me..
but the spending time n sharing memories w ur dad is d sweetest thing ever!!!

dr itu! said...

nice story drSam...

itula pengorbanan ayahkan!
manisnya kenangan zaman silam...huhu..

PerantauSepi1306 said...

This article is rated 18SG but still the father-son quality time was indeed priceless. Hehehehe just kidding...

Btw, you've been tagged by me.. ;D jawab jangan tak jawab all 45Q ye..

puspawangi said...

Dr Sam, malam-malam tak mimpi kena kejar rimauke? Berani sungguh Dr Sam masa kecik-kecik nooo, kalu saya dah lari jauh dah...takut badi rimau hehehe...

MariaFaizal said...

I've already emailed you on 'the plan' :)
Which of S.Alam r u in DrSam?

Friday night wz CK after Maghrib prayer would do?

Only the venue yet to be decided :)

Anonymous said...

haha..yke..
smpy bumbung pn tmbak..
heee..
funny..

congrats DrSam jd shooter bumbung terbaik..

Zue said...

Your posing itself macam u yang tembak the tiger

ASH said...

Entry ini adalah YaNg TeRCanTik PenGHayAtaN dan peNgImBaUan MaSa LaLu..Tahniah Dr Sam!

patungcendana said...

thanks doc...tapi aku dah biasa berperang dgn emosi ni...selalunya aku kalah...huhuhu

DrSam said...

tchersally,
Yes, the sweetest memory was being able to spend time with my beloved father.

alhaqimi,
kasih sayang ibu bapa hingga ke akhir hayat.

perantausepi,
I supposed most of the readers are 18 and above :)

puspawangi,
agaknya badan pun dah bau macam rimau masa tu sebab asyik main dengan rimau aje.

MariaFaizal,
I've read your email and got your number. I am close to Kota Damansara area.

philoColy,
anugerah sharp shooter tersohor.

Zue,
Perasan aja lebih tu.

ashley,
TQ. memang banyak kenangan indah yang hendak dikongsi bersama saudara, rakan dan taulan. Moga ada yang boleh dijadikan tauladan.

patungcendana,
jangan biarkan emosi membelengu diri.

Anonymous said...

hehehhe.. sorry ketinggalan...

best nyer memburu harimau di hutan....
ngaauuummmmm...

DrSam said...

fahmi,
blog memang dah tutup bahagian komentarnya ye?

Leenoh said...

Berbakat dan bergaya, agaknya darah pahlawan kot.

Anonymous said...

sorry

"blog memang dah tutup bahagian komentarnya ye?"

tak la sekejap jer sebab fahmi nak pergi kursus seminggu...di bukit bintang dlm minggu ni la... nanti tak terbalas la plak... sorry DrSam

DrSam said...

Leenoh,
Bakat tu tak pasti, tapi gaya mungkin ada :)

fahmi,
selamat berkursus. Semoga ilmu yang diperolehi akan memberi munafaat. Jika ada kelapangan boleh bersua dan bercerita kita. Bkt Bintang tak jauh mana.

DrKong said...

oh my God! is that really you DrSam? wow... you must have been proud to be standing near the deadly Tiger..

you surely had a great experiences of hunting with your dad...

Mencari Sinar Bahagia @ Tommy said...

Hello DrSam...

How are you???
Sorry for not dropping by...
How is things going on recently???
Do comment my new entry,k...
Take care..:)

DrSam said...

Kengkaru kong,
I wish I could turn back the clock. Priceless moment.

Tom,
Hello my friend. I am fine, TQ. Everything seems to be a bit quiet here, but life goes on as usual. I have read your entry. nice poem.

Kak Teh said...

Dr Sam, this is like having an adventure at your doorsteps. But I can imagine your mum's anxiety.

atie said...

Emm...gitu rupanya, best la ada pengalaman camtu...jadi kanak2 memang best

Puan Ninie said...

wahhhhhhh
takutnyer....;p
dat tyme saya x lahir pun lagi...;)

saya teringin sgt nak touch bear..;)
hehehe

DrSam said...

Kak Teh,
It was a great experience indeed. Only a mother can really understand another mother's feeling.

atie,
kenangan terindah, selalu diingati.

mEIZ AraNda,
kalau tak dapat yang real, cari aja teddy bear :)

Fly said...

salam dr..selamat berhujung minggu ye..kagum2 dengan entry dr ni

JohnJenin said...

DrSam,

Great and amazing experience. Tak merasa lah bebudak zaman sekarang.

Saya pernah mengikut tokwan saya menembak tupai dan monyet di dusun buah. Itu pon dah seronok gila tengok senapang. Tapi still tak boleh lawan DrSam yang bergambar di hadapan Rimau. :)

DrSam said...

Fly,
Hari minggu yang penuh peristiwa.


JohnJenin,
seronok juga pengalaman kamu.

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