Tiger Predation

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Page 168 to 171  of "Hulirayana Akashavani". 

June 1991 - T-03 aka "Dhasa" in action

On the morning of June 20, 1991, I went on the trail of a male tiger named Dhasa (T-03). Madhusudan was a college student with me. Madhu has a keen interest in wildlife. That's why I encouraged him to study biology. He is very interested in this field. He would come to the woods with me whenever possible. The same lad today, Dr. M.  D.  Madhusudan, is a renowned wildlife scientist. By 8am this morning, Dhasa had decided to stop his journey and relax. Recognizing the radio signals coming from Dhasa's collar from three directions, we identified the spot where he was sleeping. Dhasa had chosen the space between the ocean floor and the adjacent fireline for his rest. We walked carefully but told Madhu that we could go as far as fifty meters to the sleeping tiger. The most thrilling experience is to follow a tiger on foot in a dense forest. He was just as excited as I was. The forest department fires along the edge of the forest to prevent forest fires.

Have listen carefully, Dhasa radio signals are on this tracks. Something along the edge of this path should be covered with bamboo and mature grass. The sun's rays were spreading out from inside the forest. The clichs of birds that filled the forest around my client was unheard of. The only beeping sounds of the radio collar were reaching my windows. Dealing with all the noise around this deaf forest is just as inviting as danger. In this forest, where there are a couple of elephants per square kilometer, I have only been deafened by an ear deafening warn from an elephant. In a few minutes we came to a small huddle that had been cleared. Radio signals signal the tiger to be about sixty meters away from us, within the bamboo lining of the edge. The sight of the tiger was a different sight. Between the edge of the plain and a tiger bamboo stick was a female Gaur (They named her Katy). Katy glanced at the tiger's hiding spot and never noticed us coming 50 meters away. Katy, who was uniformly eyeing the tiger's hideout, often seemed to be aggressive, hitting her leg and slapping her tail. It looked like she was worried. Katie's attitude made us feel extraordinary. If the tiger is so close, why didn't Katy run away? Why is it that she has left her group's defense and is alone? Looking at it from my binoculars, I knew what was true.  A few seconds before we got there, the tiger had attacked. Then all the other members of the group must have fled. Katy's back was severely damaged by the tiger's claws. Blood flowed from her head like a stream. Dhasa also bit Katy's muzzle. 

Despite being so badly injured, the mighty tiger had to retreat from her. Without killing Katy immediately, Dhasa retreated into the bushes. Dhasa is now looking at his victim. If the gaur tries to run from there, the tiger will attack from behind and bring her to the ground. Thus, at the last moment of her life, Katy showed great courage in spite of her helplessness. Despite the injuries, Katy was a strong rival to a tiger-like enemy. Even if the tiger fails, the slightest mistake is enough, and the strong edges of the strong body, which weighs 600 kilos, are capable of ripping the tiger's stomach. Thus the hunter and the victim got into conflict. For about five minutes we could have seen this thrilling forest drama where a hunter and its victim were in conflict. Curious as to what's ahead of us, I was surprised to find that the radio signals that were coming from the tiger's side suddenly quit the activity and became inactive. Hearing this signal means that the tiger is asleep completely. Can the tiger muscles keep up as it prepares for its final attack on Katy? Will Dhasa sleep and rest from the exhaustion of the first round of fighting such a strong rival? Dhasa had a tendency to catch gaurs (he was a gaur expert). Two months ago, near Kallu Korai Road, Dhasa, had killed a small male Katti, the size of a female. The tiger had no hurry to catch its prey. Dhasa was waiting for the time. There was no group protection for the injured Katy; It doesn't even exist. Katy's condition rapidly deteriorated due to bleeding.

The cow's head, which slowly collapsed to the ground without stopping at the end, was visible only to us from the grass. We both got a little closer to looking at Katy better. It was my belief that the collapsed Katy could not stand up but left us in a hurry! The tiger's radio signals, which had been dormant for so long, were suddenly dynamic.

It is not known if the tiger moved back and stood up to notice the plummeting Katy. No wonder, though, that fatigue went off in sleep. But this move of the tiger shocked Katy. Immediately Katy stood up and started to cry, tearing her nostrils. Katy had found us who had come close to thirty meters in this chaos! Attirukku turned to us without hesitation to think. Not expecting the most unexpected invasion of Katy, I rode back on the grass. "Run, run," shouted Madhu. There was no need to say so. The long-legged Madhu crossed over to me and pushed forward. We somehow escaped into the woods with antenna cables, receivers and binoculars all around us. We ran back a hundred meters and stood up and looked back. Katy didn't come after us. The dull-eyed Katy could not follow us in the green of the forest. But Katie knew that there was a danger behind her. It is impossible to say what Dhasa might have felt when he saw this strange scene. Can you imagine a funny scene in which two men busting around antennas and cables are driving like madman in a mad rush? Katy's corpse was spotted the next morning when we went to the place. Katie had walked about three kilometers from where she had driven us the previous day. Katy's dull eyes look nothing like dark. The tiger Dhasa, who could see well in the dark, easily caught his prey. The tiger, who seemed to have all the perseverance, eventually ate only about 20 kg of meat and left. There was no hint of Dhasa radio signals anywhere.  An hour later, Dhasa's footprints were spotted on the soft soil of Chikkapala Road, one and a half kilometers away. The introduction of Dhasa's footprints was good for me. His footprints are small compared to his body size. But there were also dried blood stains near the footprints. That is, Katy had slightly injured the tiger in the fight the previous day. But the wound was not so great. Dhasa succeeded in killing Katy, ate too much and walked away comfortably.

     
(Dhasa's pug mark)

   
(Katy's carcass being measured) Reply