Jehangir with pets
Prince Salim or Emperor Jehangir as he is known had varied interests. He was the few scientist emperors in India who loved to conduct experiments on soli, in animal and human behaviors. Apart from his experiments and love for wine and opium his other love was animals.
He was a animal lover and his pets always got special treatments like his elephants were allowed to use his swimming pool filled with warm waters in winter when he saw them shiver during bathe in Yamuna’s cold water, he even built palace for his elephants called haathi mahal(although it no longer exists), he built a hiran minar for his pet Manas Raj near Lahore. Indeed Salim aka Jehangir had the biggest collection of pet lions with him and quiet a few ambassdors to his court have mentioned them strolling around in his palace.
Indeed once when Prince Salim pet deer strayed into enemy camp during war and none of his soldiers or gaurds dared go into enemy camp and get it back he did the honors himself and went right into the enemy camp and got back his pet deer. He was just a kid then hence may be unaware of dangers of getting caught by enemy in their camp. So he was a typical animal lover who would go to extremes to keep his pets happy. Indeed Jehangir was so fond of his pet deer Manas Raj that local legends say that he loved Manas like an own brother and hence built him that magnificent tomb(That rivals the Taj Mahal)
Jehangir loved hunting too. What a contrasting personality.
History and Chronicles 