Monsoon, Wild dogs and a Chase

Of the many predators of our forests, probably the most ferocious are wild dogs, or Dholes. A pack animal, they are voracious hunters, known for the ruthlessness with which they pursue their prey. But hunts are opportunistic, and often so fleeting that we miss them if we blink. One such fleeting moment happened in the monsoon of July 2021.

On our afternoon safari, we came across an area drenched by rains, but fortunately the rain had let up a bit, allowing us to look around a bit. As luck would have it, a pack of wild dogs – at least 8 dogs – came to the same place, and relaxed on the road. While taking a few decent pictures, we noticed that some of them had gotten up and were actively foraging in a bush nearby. When we looked closer, one of them had found a piece of meat!

Suddenly pretty much all the dogs behaved like – well, like dogs. They attacked the piece of meat relentlessly, but before it was finished, an even bigger surprise awaited everyone. A lone spotted deer nonchalantly entered the area from the other side of the road, completely unsuspecting the presence of predators.

Suddenly the whole area opened up – wild dogs chased, the deer ran, and bushes shook. As the action unfolded, we could see the animals get engulfed in the thick monsoon bushes, but could also see the deer hop and jump in the midst. Soon the deer overran its predators, and we could see the dogs give up the chase – slowly they came back to the main road, and rested again. Fortunately the deer had survived for another day.