Gory Killings Nature At Work

Whence herbivores are killed by predators it cannot always be a scene picked from a National Geography wildlife serial. Some of the moments could be heart-wrenching, agonizing, and strikingly painful experiences. The pathos such incidents generate is difficult to contain what with emotions streaking through the over-awed mind. 

While tigers and leopards are efficient hunting machines causing swift death, predators like the wild dog and jackals are not. The charge is often a series of fumbled attacks that end up mauling and scaring the terrified prey. The resultant attacks lead to torture misery and painful death sometimes taking a long time.          

I observed a jackal attack on two occasions on a tiger safari in April. The first one was a single jackal in a meadow that managed to pick out the flesh from the cheeks and eyes of a terrified fawn. Agonized to the extreme the helpless fawn bleeding and weakened stood up its ground but to no avail. In a series of charges, the jackal could succeed in an awkward kill as other deer watched haplessly.   

The scene was heart-wrenching many in the crowd had closed their eyes, and some simply left the scene. The end was agonizingly slow but the predator succeeded in availing food. 

The second incidence was at the edge of the forest where two jackals had managed to rip open the stomach cavity, and the entrails were hanging loose. It was indeed a gory event and certainly not for the weak hearts. The animal eventually succumbed and became a meal for the jackals followed by crows and vultures. All was over in a short time.  

Though the events are described here as gory this is the way nature works. In almost all the events the death is painfully slow there is an inbuilt death mechanism amongst the prey but sometimes it does not work. 

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Jackals by nature are omnivorous animals but whence there is a preponderance of prey they develop the instinct and capability to kill the small ones. 

Tiger Ambush & Chase - Hunting

With Margaret & Georges France

Guests Courtyard House Kanha
  

Tiger Hunting Deer Video - Uday Patel
Kanha National Park in India

She must have arrived at predawn in the grassland and had settled down unseen. Whence we saw her she was safely ensconced in between the grass and could hardly be seen. We stayed there admiring the big cat in sylvan surroundings and serene settings that the forests are popular for. The rising sun had lit the strands of grass here and there creating an awe-striking splendor. 

We must have waited for some time observing the tigress taking a peek at deer in and around preparing for the kill. This continued for some time till there was a rustle amongst the bushes across the road. Swiftly she turned around and vanished into a grassy patch behind, right opposite the deer preparing to cross the road. We could not see her at all. Where was she?     

Ambush & Chase     

Suspense mounted as the deer (fawn + doe) slowly edged towards probably where the tigress was waiting. The camouflage was incredible as the big cat lay flat on her belly without a whisker being shaken. Tigers can sit incredibly silent and still for a very long time in wait for their prey and this is what the female was doing. She must be in the range of 130 to 150 kg weight and fully grown. 

The black stripes and yellow must be aiding her due to pattern disruption making her invisible in the meadow. The camouflage is remarkable and many times it is difficult for the prey to sight the predator. The body contours fit well in the terrain completely engulfing the animal, this is a unique feature and makes tigers stand out from other predators. Stealth and surprise are the key aspects of hunting and survival.       

The deer had yet not seen her and were a few feet away totally unaware of death waiting ahead.  The fawn was following a few steps behind the doe.  

It happened within a flick of the second as the tigress lunged at the fawn totally taken by surprise and fear. Rolling on its digit the big cat closed on the fawn covering a distance of about thirty feet. The move was effortless and strikingly fast. Upon nearing the fawn she struck at the tiny leg making him lose balance. Thus grounded she pierced her canines and broke the vertebrae of the prey. 

I could hear the heart-wrenching sound of the fawn as it struck the ground. But mercifully it was all over in seconds. In nature, death strikes fast due to a shock mechanism thus reducing the suffering.

In the same movement, the tigress gripped the fawn and was on her way to the cubs. She had come near to our jeep as it happened in few seconds and we could not reverse.  What was really surprising the big cat had not run out of breath and was moving swiftly probably towards her cubs. 

Dual Mode of Hunting 

The female had not only used an ambush but also chased the prey exhibiting how the tigers hunt in the wild. The patience exhibited was remarkable and the ground chosen to hide showed how experienced the animal was.