Anamalai Tiger Reserve

"STUDIES ON THE INFLUENCE OF VEGETATION TYPES AND PREY COMPOSITION ON THE FEEDING ECOLOGY OF TIGER, LEOPARD AND WILD DOG IN INDIRA GANDHI WILDLIFE SANQUARY AND NATIONAL PARK, TAMILNADU, INDIA"
A. KUMARAGURU 2006
TIGER IN ANAMALAI

Bengal tiger vs wild water buffalo (Kaziranga National Park)

"The Deer and the Tiger" GEORGE B. SCHALLER

"Buffalo usually avoid dense woodland as because they could not sense the presence of tiger which predates upon the buffaloes. Although some solitary bulls were recorded from the woodland as adult bulls are rarely attacked by tiger."                                                                                                                      "STUDIES ON THE ECOLOGY AND DISTRIBUTION OF WILD WATER BUFFALO Bubalus antee KERR. IN ASSAM WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO KAZIRANGA NATIONAL PARK" Bawri Mayur

Wild buffaloes of Kaziranga                                                                                                                       

Bengal tiger vs wild water buffalo (Manas National Park)

"There were altogether 48 kills of tiger has been found in Manas National Park. Based kills data gathered during present study that. Sambar (25.92 %) contributed major portion of the tigers' diet in Manas Natioanal Park that was followed by Bison (21.86 %), Barking Deer (17.73 %), Wild Boar (16.06 %), Hog Deer (7.62 %), Wild Buffalo (4.13 %), Hare (2.81 %). Porcupine (2.42 %). Hispid Hare (0.93 %) and least by Pigmy Hog (0.53 %)"
Rabha Abhijit 2012  "Ecology of tiger panthera tigris LINN 1758 in Manas national park Assam India" 

(adult male wild buffalo ) 
PREY SELECTION PATTERN OF TIGER
PREY POPULATION OF TIGER 
Adult Male

PREY SELECTION, FOOD HABITS AND POPULATION STRUCTURE OF SYMPATRIC CARNIVORES: TIGER Panthera tigris tigris (L.), LEOPARD Panthera pardus (L.) AND DHOLE Cuon alpinus (PALLAS) IN PENCH TIGER RESERVE

https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/11822171.pdf 

"Gaur was classified into; adult males (shiny black coat with heavy horns sweeping sideways and upwards), sub-adult males (dark brown coat with a conspicuous dorsal ridge and small dewlap hanging below the chin, large drapes between the fore legs), yearlings (10-20 months old)"

Young tiger vs cow gaur (Tadoba Andhari Tiger Resarve) cow wild buffalo (Kaziranga)

http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/video/young-tiger-runs-through-grass-and-attempts-to-stock-video-footage/1B01170_0008

Tiger vs dhole

                   
                                                          Tiger charges a dhole pack
                                                  https://www.dailymotion.com/embed/video/x2s7oww

 "... and dhole had low rates of co-occurrence with tiger, and their detection probabilities were 47–52% lower in tiger-occupied open habitat (compared to closed), despite suitable prey there. Tiger occupancy was highest in prey-rich zones, whereas dholes were concentrated in a prey-poor zone where tigers were scarce, suggestive of mesopredator release. Activity periods of leopard and dhole (diurnal) were significantly different from tiger (nocturnal). In sum, tiger distribution appeared to be driven solely by prey availability, whereas leopard and dhole seemed to be influenced by prey availability and avoidance of tigers, mediated by habitat structure. Results agree with predictions that under intraguild predation the dominant predator’s distribution matches its resources, whereas intermediate predators trade-off food and safety."

"Tigers, leopards, and dholes in a half-empty forest: Assessing species  interactions in a guild of threatened carnivores"                                                          Steinmetz R.,Seuaturien N., Chutipong W.                                                                                                  https://www.researchgate.net

Tiger vs dhole (Nagarahole Tiger Reserve)

http://www.conservationindia.org/gallery/tiger-stalks-and-hunts-down-dhole-wild-dog
We witnessed an astonishing natural history moment while on a ride inside Nagarahole Tiger Reserve on the 20th of September, 2017. 

Just as the rain stopped in the morning in the Kabini area of the park, our safari jeep came upon a tiger facing off with a large pack of dholes. The crouching tiger seemed ready to pounce, when a bike-borne forest department staffer came riding between them, inadvertently chasing both away. The tiger disappeared into a bush, so we followed the dogs instead. 

About 7-8 minutes later, and a bit down the road, the tiger came crashing back from the bush right in our direction, and chased the nearest dog into a clump of lantana. The rest of the pack barked and hopped around in a frenzy, but to no avail, as the dying yelp of the unfortunate individual filled the air before the forest went completely silent. We couldn’t photograph anything those last few seconds, but I don’t think anyone present will forget the sight!

Bengal tiger on gaur kill (Mudumalai)

tigers vs wild bull

"However, what intrigued me most was how a lone tiger can subdue gaur, the largest wild cattle species in the world. These muscle-bound beasts, which look like they are on steroids, are three to four times heavier than the tiger. Their menacing horns can lethally impale a tiger; a well-placed kick can shatter its skull."(K. Ullas Karanth)  http://voices.nationalgeographic.org/2013/12/03/rare-video-captures-tiger-making-its-kill/

   "Wild Cats of the World"  Charles Albert Walter Guggisberg 

tiger killing wild boar (Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve)

Tiger chasing sloth bear

                           

Tiger vs Sloth Bear Interaction in Wild

                               

Tiger predation on sloth bear (Dalma WS vs Mudumalai)

"Presence of porcupine remains in the scats of tiger reflects the ability of tiger to hunt this aggressive prey species. Similar observations have also been reported from Mudumalai on tiger which fed upon sloth bear (Swaminathan et al. 2002)"                                                                                                      

 Prey preference of large carnivores in Anamalai Tiger Reserve, India                                              Arumugam Kumaraguru & R. Saravanamuthu & K. Brinda & S. Asokan                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Tigress (and her two cubs) in Panna fed on this sloth bear kill

Tiger vs sloth bear encounters

This tigress (and her two cubs) in Panna fed on this sloth bear kill for four days.Photo by K.Yoganand                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

 "In India’s jungles tigers sometimes kill sloth bears. And eat them for breakfast – and lunch and dinner if there’s anything left over! Although the shaggy sloth bear, one of four species of bears found in India, has a fearsome reputation for unprovoked aggression, Baloo is obviously no match for Shere Khan. Bear hair in tiger scat is not an unusual sight in forests where the two species coexist. My friend, Dr. K. Yoganand, a wildlife biologist who studied sloth bears in Panna Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh, not only witnessed many aggressive encounters between bears and tigers, he even photographed a tiger feeding on a fresh sloth bear kill. Obviously there is little love lost between the two species, which makes the incident I’m about to narrate rather unique. "   http://www.shekardattatri.com/wow-moments.html

"Sloth bears seldom feed on carrion (a highenergy resource and a possible source of protein), probably because of the risk of predation by sympatric predators, tiger and leopard, which generally guard their kills (Laurie and Seidensticker 1977). There could also be competition for carcasses from efficient scavengers such as the striped hyaena and wild pig."

"Tigers attack and kill sloth bears occasionally (Joshi et al.1999, personal observations), however encounters between them are fairly common (unpublished data).

Incidents of sloth bear mortality caused by predators have been reported from several places in its range (reviewed in Joshi et al. 1999). In Panna, sloth bears had several agonistic interactions with tigers and were also occasionally killed by tigers (unpublished data).Tigers attack and kill sloth bears only occasionally (Laurie and Seidensticker 1977, Joshi et al. 1999 and the references therein), however encounters between them are fairly common (unpublished data).

Tiger avoidance may not be a primary force in shaping the diel activityof sloth bear, because they do not seem to have a strictly prey-predator association.Tigers do prey on sloth bear (Laurie and Seidensticker 1977,Joshi et al. 1999, unpublished data), but the killings may happen primarily during close encounters between them, and not as a case of hunting.

Sloth bears are aggressive, strong, with sharp claws and large canine teeth and they could inflict serious injuries on tigers. There have been instances when tigers have been injured or chased away by sloth bears or both withdrew during such close encounters (Joshi et al. 1999, personal observations). So,the tigers too may perceive a risk and therefore avoid encountering bears.For the bears, tigers may just be adversaries, with the outcome risky mainlywhen encountered suddenly. Therefore, it may not be critical for sloth bears to avoid the timings when tigers are active. Sloth bears in Panna NP did not seem to avoid tigers spatially either. They frequently use habitats such as escarpments that tigers also frequently used. Escarpment habitat offers suitable daytime resting sites for both species and they use this habitat frequently and simultaneously.

However, it is possible that the bears may be avoiding certain microhabitats that tigers frequently use, or actively avoid tigers by avoiding places where they are present. I have found evidences of active avoidance of tigers by sloth bears and relatively frequent vigilance behaviour in bears (personal  observations) in Panna NP.

My observations on interactions that sloth bears had with conspecifics,tigers and humans in Panna indicate that there are several responses that are common in these interactions, particularly in the way sloth bears reacted to both tigers and humans.Sloth bears actively avoided tigers and humans when they became aware of their presence in advance. When they heard suspicious sounds made by humans, tigers, or even alarms raised by other animals such as sambar (Cervus unicolor) or common langur (Trachypithecus entellus) to the presence of predators or humans, the bears became vigilant.They paused their activity and waited for further sounds or scents, looked in the direction of the sound, or exhibited such vigilant behaviour.
When the bears sensed the presence of adversaries, they stopped their activity, moved in a different direction or even took shelter under secure cover. Sometimes,they did not emerge out of dens until long after their usual times of start of activity.
Occasionally they also fled on sensing a threat, or at other times,they rushed towards the tiger or the human. Similar reactions were also observed in Chitwan NP, Nepal. At close quarters, sloth bears reacted to humans and tigers similarly, often by roaring and running away, or roaring and attacking before retreating (Laurie and Seidensticker 1977)"                                                               K.Yoganand, 2005, “Behavioural Ecology of Sloth Bear (Melursus ursinus) In Panna National Park, Central India”, thesis PhD, Saurashtra University

"We never observed Sloth bears eating carrion or preying on other mammals. McDougal (pers. comm.) who conducted an extensive tiger baiting programme in Western Chitawan reported only one instance of a Sloth bear feeding from a buffalo killed by a tiger. Sanderson (1890) reported that occasionally Sloth bears scavenged tiger kills and gnawed on cattle bones"                                         A. Laurie,J. Seidensticker 1976 "Behavioural ecology of the Sloth bear (Melursus ursinus)"

"On two occasions,adult sloth bears were killed by tigers(Kuttapan, 1989), and were consumed."

Gopal, R.  1991"Ethological observations on the sloth bear (Melursus ursinus)." Indian For. 117