Tigers hunting and killing large pachyderms

[Vegeta San]

Thanks for starting this thread @brotherbear!

Here's a list of 100% legit, confirmed records of tigers killing adult Elephants and Rhinos, including Bulls. (Chronological order) Even some accounts of tigers mauling and severely injuring adult Elephants.

BENGAL TIGER ON ADULT RHINO KILL

*This image is copyright of its original author

Wildlife photography is not only about beautiful birds and lovable mammals. And Tiger is not a cuddly pussycat who you pet at home. However adorable and graceful it may look, Tiger is actually a lethal killing machine and the top predator in its habitat. All animals, big and small, are prone to become food of the Tiger.

In the forests of Assam, this Male Tiger at its prime killed an adult rhino, four or five times its own weight, that was grazing in a swamp and was in a relatively vulnerable position. The tiger sprang on to the top of the rhino from the higher bank of the swamp and broke the rhino’s neck before it could put up much of a fight! The tiger then gorged himself with its prize prey allowing many images and poses.

A few events in the forest are truly unforgettable and rank as rarest of the rare! This is one of them.

On this International Tiger Day, let us all take a solemn pledge to do our best to save the wild tigers of India and their habitats under threat.

Assam
India
Credit to Rajarshi Banerji

2018

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41 Elephants die in Kerala forests...

"Wild Elephants have died due to attacks by tigers, inter-conflict between jumbos, electrocution and because of other natural causes, he said."

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:  At least 41 wild elephants have died in Kerala's forest ranges in the last six months however, none of these deaths were due to weather drought conditions or due to the lack of food and water in the forest, according to Forest Minister K Raju in a written reply in the Assembly.

https://www.ndtv.com/kerala-news/41-elep...hs-1691988

More specifically, these are the elephants who died to tigers in the keralas forests:

"Tigers kill six Elephants in Kerala Wayanad, as drought triggers fierce water war"

"Eighteen elephants have died in Kerala’s Wayanad wildlife sanctuary over the past four months, including at least six in tiger attacks that officials say could have been triggered by bitter turf wars over scarce water."

"While six elephants were killed by tigers, two tuskers died fighting each other."

https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-new...GXoeK.html

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Bengal tiger and Rhino found dead.

After the terrible incident of losing three one-horned rhinos in three days in Kaziranga, the park again mourned the death of one more rhino and a Royal Bengal Tiger. However, this time the reason for the death is not poaching but a brawl between the two animals which unfortunately lost their lives in the fight. The carcasses of the two animals of endangered species were found lying next to each other on Tuesday, Nov 7, 2017, by the forest officials in the Bagori Range of the park.

The forest officials suspect the reason to be the fight between the two animals on the account that the rhino’s horn and the body parts of the tiger were intact. While the dead tiger is said to be a sub-adult male of about two-and-a-half years old, the rhino was a female of around 20 years. According to officials, another possible reason of the death of the animals could be that an adult tiger might have killed the rhino, and the sub-adult tiger strayed into the adult tiger’s territory and eyed a share of the rhino meat, reluctant to share, the older tiger might have killed him as well. The officials suggest this theory after finding fresh tiger droppings close to the two carcasses.

Tiger predation is a common case in Kaziranga National Park, however, the death of both the animals is the rarest sight in the reserve. There have been around 472 rhinos dead due to tiger predation in Kaziranga National Park between the year 1982 and 2014 and the highest casualties of around 26 rhinos were reported in the year 2004.

https://www.kaziranga-national-park.com/...kaziranga/

Here's another official news report mentioning the same incident:

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/...a-4927457/

2013
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Tigers have hunted down two elephants, including a young one, last month in Kerala forests.

https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp...579517.ece

2011
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Full-grown adult female Rhino killed by a tiger and a full-grown adult MALE Rhino was also killed by a tiger:

"The late Monday night killing is the third instance of a rhino being killed by the roaming big cats in the last 14 months since the killing of a 35-year old male rhino November 2011 followed by that of a young adult in December 2011. A female rhino named Himrani was attacked and injured by a tiger on December 1, 2011 but managed to survive due to the efforts of the park authorities."

https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp...363274.ece

2009
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Tiger kills male tusker Elephant in Eravikulam national park.

http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/k...53990.html

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Tiger attacks and critically injures a Bull tusker Elephant, after it had already killed a buffalo!

https://www.telegraphindia.com/1091226/j...908740.jsp

2008 & 2007
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"Royal Bengal tigers, which usually prey on baby rhinos, have begun killing adult ones in Kaziranga National Park since the last fortnight."

Tigers killed 20 rhinos at Kaziranga last year, while this year eight rhinos have fallen prey to the big cats.

"The worrying part is that tigers have begun killing full-grown Rhinos. Earlier it was only the calves the tigers used to attack but now the full grown rhinos are being targeted,” said Bankim Sharma, the divisional forest official of the park."

"Last evening, three tigers, probably a mother and her two grown calves, attacked an adult rhino near the East Haldhibari anti-poaching camp in the Kohora range of the park"

"On February 26, a pregnant rhino was killed by tigers at Rutikhowa beel under Bagori range."

https://www.telegraphindia.com/1080313/j...012303.jsp

2005
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Elephant dies after a fight with a tigress:

http://archive.is/5tNkL

1998
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Tiger attacks and severely mauls and badly injures a protective mother Elephant, after killing her calf:

*This image is copyright of its original author

1959
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Here's Colonel Kesri singhs account from his book: "The Tiger of Rajasthan"..where a tiger killed a big Bull tusker Elephant in a fight, in Assam:

Chapter 15: THE LORD OF THE JUNGLE.

*This image is copyright of its original author

"Some three or four years ago a tiger, having killed a baby elephant, was attacked by a tusker. Instead of trying to get clean away the tiger came at the elephant from the flank or rear, and having got on to his back raked and tore at him with his claws. The fight went on for a long time, the tusker apparently trying to dislodge the tiger by running under and against trees. He seems to have succeeded in this at least once, but only for the tiger to recover and return to the attack...In the morning the area was examined and the story reconstructed from the copious signs left about the area. The aggressor had had the best of it, for the party found the remains of the elephant calf and the dead tuskers huge bulk, atrociously torn, but the tiger had disappeared." 

'Death by a thousand cuts'.


1953
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Here's the legendary Jim Corbett's account of a pair of tigers that killed a BIG BULL TUSKER Elephant in a fight:

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

*This image is copyright of its original author

The same incident can be found in  Valmik Thapar's "Tiger: The Ultimate Guide"- pg.140

*This image is copyright of its original author

1875
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Tigress DEEPLY LACERATES the heads of two Elephants and the hind-quarters of a third Elephant:

*This image is copyright of its original author

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Here's a video of an injured adult Rhino that was mauled and lacerated by a tiger, proving that tigers do attack adult Rhinos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0Ol6Cgv2pA&t=1s

"The Biology and Conservation of Wild Felids"

Biologist, Sunquist states: Tigers are capable of killing adult rhinos and elephants!

*This image is copyright of its original author

These are all 100% legit, confirmed records of tigers killing full-grown adult Elephants and adult Rhinos, including Bulls. All accounts have been reported by wildlife officials, forest departments, legit official news reports and renowned naturalists and wildlife trackers like Jim Corbett and Kesri singh, who are considered authorities on tigers. Reply