Dholes (Cuon alpinus)

[Sanju]

The fear of the jungle. Red dog clan.

A leopard had brought down a Sambhar deer the previous day. The next morning, the alpha male and female on a rock in the valley guarding a tree and barking up it occasionally at the leopard held hostage. The enlarged belly of the dholes indicated they had stolen and feasted on the sambhar kill.

Later for 20 minutes was a highly charged escape attempt by the leopard. It tried coming down the tree again and again with growls only to turn back up into the safety of the branches when the dogs barred their teeth and jumped up the trunk.

Finally using trickery, it came down the front of the tree and then suddenly turned and jumped off the back of the tree into the bushes and dashed off chased closely by the dholes. It found safety up on another tree a short distance away. This long drama continued, perhaps until the dholes lost interest and wandered off.

Location:  Biligirirangabetta or #brhills

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