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Tiger Predation
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 (06-18-2019, 04:57 AM)Rishi Wrote:(06-18-2019, 03:00 AM)Sully Wrote: Not surprised to hear, those corbett males are monsters. Just wondering are there any specifics on the ages of the young elephants? Also is "mostly on young ones" quantified in any way? Or is the info in the article all we know of now? I don't deny that tigers can kill elephant calves or adults, but killing the latter is definitely much harder than killing deer or gaur. Even if the tiger can intimidate an adult elephant with an initial charge, in none of these videos did tigers manage to inflict even significant harm on the elephants: 
yea i just can't fathom how any known large land carnivore can kill an adult elephant of any subspecies,young ones obviously,but adults? not likely
 (06-18-2019, 01:37 PM)Rage2277 Wrote: yea i just can't fathom how any known large land carnivore can kill an adult elephant of any subspecies,young ones obviously,but adults? not likely (06-18-2019, 01:29 PM)BorneanTiger Wrote:(06-18-2019, 04:57 AM)Rishi Wrote:(06-18-2019, 03:00 AM)Sully Wrote: Not surprised to hear, those corbett males are monsters. Just wondering are there any specifics on the ages of the young elephants? Also is "mostly on young ones" quantified in any way? Or is the info in the article all we know of now? 3 of those 5 are sub-adults. Plus Forest Dept. employed elephants, even young ones, are trained to face a charging animal & hold their ground. This unnatural reaction causes tigers or rhinos to panic & abort. Anyway they clearly mention tigers feeding on younger calves & adults dead from infighting. A stray calf, old or injured or sick adult would make a good catch for a male or female with large cubs, not prime specimens... tigers lack the "manpower" for that, unlike lions. When both tiger & elephant number increase in forests like Kaziranga & Corbett, it's only a matter of time before some tigers figure out that calves below 5 years age are easier to kill compared to boars or bears. I'm guessing a few individuals learn to bypass a confused herd by ambushing them in dense vegetation. Maybe like in case of gaurs or rhinos, some specialists start smaller & work their way to larger ones.  (06-18-2019, 01:37 PM)Rage2277 Wrote: yea i just can't fathom how any known large land carnivore can kill an adult elephant of any subspecies,young ones obviously,but adults? not likely I don't think any big cats or bears can kill an adult elephant. An adult female, maybe the big cats or bears can kill an adult female if they are in groups. But an adult bull? I doubt it. 
@BorneanTiger :
About #1670 : In the video you showed, we can see that well-tusked elephants manage much better an encounter with a tiger. Logical would you say but yes a good couple of tusks makes the life much more comfortable... Perhaps inside the tiger's mind a no-tusked elephant isn't a "fully realized individual" regardless of its size.  *This image is copyright of its original author Ravindra Harite-Tigress Mayuri approching a kill of female Blue bull
Regarding the tiger predation on elephant calves, there is too much outrage already! I mean, they found 13 elephant calves were killed in a population of 1100+ by a population of 225+ tigers in 5 years! That is not a lot. If you compare that to the number of rhino calves that Kaziranga tigers take, even though there is abundant big prey available, it pales in comparison. They are opportunistic hunters in all their habitats, I mean in Sunderbans their diet consists of crabs and turtles!
Also, a couple years ago, 6 elephants of varying sizes (even an adult) were killed in Wayanad. Just today, a mother and 3 sub-adult cubs were seen scavenging on a dead elephant which was injured in a territorial fight with another elephant. The MO to killing an elephant seems to be to go for the trunk. An elephant won’t survive in the wild without it’s trunk and apparently, that’s how tiger get them. (06-19-2019, 05:22 AM)Ashutosh Wrote: Just today, a mother and 3 sub-adult cubs were seen scavenging on a dead elephant which was injured in a territorial fight with another elephant. Interesting.. where? Please share a source. Quote:The MO to killing an elephant seems to be to go for the trunk. An elephant won’t survive in the wild without it’s trunk and apparently, that’s how tiger get them. What makes you say it's apparent? This sounds highly unlikely to me... Not only tigers rarely go for such frontal attacks on larger animals, it would definitely result in a swift death of the tiger, while elephant can breathe fine through its mouth. Even several lions don't try that. (Don't bring in tiger pouncing on elephant carrying hunters, that's a desperate life or death situation for him.) Unless the trunk is torn off it won't starve either. Unlike cumbersome rhinos & gaurs, elephants' long, flexible legs can deliver deadly kicks on all sides. Also the size difference is just too high! Even with a 3000kg young female against a 300kg male tiger, it's still like your house-cat trying to kill you. You won't need tusks, one stomp or knee would be enough if it lands. Quote:Interesting.. where? Please share a source. Camera trapped on Wayanad. Mother and 3 sub-adult cubs scavenging on a dead elephant. https://m.timesofindia.com/city/kozhikode/now-tigers-turn-scavengers-in-wws/articleshow/69848819.cms
I wasn’t referring to the tigers attacking the trunks of large elephants, but the ones from Corbett, where juveniles were targetted. The one slightly bigger one from Wayanad was actually killed by a thousand slashed method where the tiger had clawed it’s back multiple times, and over some time it bled out. And, a trunk of an elephant is used for eating, not just for breathing. It’s a only a matter of time before a elephant starves to death if it’s trunk is hurt ad was shown one of those old documentaries from africa where a baby elephant was attacked by a crocodile while crossing a river.
It was late evening when we had an enthralling experience with the tigers. The tigers had come to the water and relaxed as they sat and cooled themselves down. They were hungry and looking for an opportunity to hunt. The sub adults got into a little action with their play fights. The saw an Indian Gaur approach the waterbody all alone and stalked the Gaur. They weren’t confident enough of hunting the Gaur as they hid flat on the ground and waited for a long time. The mother observed these two sub adults stalking and joined the hunting game. She too stalked; as they all were at a distance and finally got closer to the Gaur. The wind was against the tigers and didn’t give much clue of their approach. What happened next is in the video! Video Credit: @sandesh.guru (Naturalist, Team BFSL) #ConservationthroughConversations We at The Bamboo Forest Safari Lodge, have loved sharing this story with you, and shall bring you regularly as part of our Responsible Tourism Initiatives to raise awareness about the nature and culture of the environments we operate in. #tiger #indiantiger #tigerofindia #tigerhunt #tadoba
Kishor Gumaste
27 November 2014 Tiger & Gaur - Image from 2010 trip to Tadoba. The magnificent male tiger stalked this Gaur calf and charged. But the mother Gaur intervened and attempt was rendered unsuccessful. The tigers roar engulfed the forest and left us stunned.  *This image is copyright of its original author Tadoba Safari & Stay by Roaring Wild Travel Co. 4 June 2017 Tigress on Indian Gaur kill . Indian Gaur is world's largest cattle . It can weight around 800kgs or more . Indian gaur is a strong wild animal but a tiger here in Tadoba are strong enough to take them down .  *This image is copyright of its original author Natwin Wild Photography & Tour's 21 April · Tiger chasing a guar Bandipur  *This image is copyright of its original author
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