Why Are Dholes the Natural Enemy of Tigers? An Analysis of the Reasons

The tiger is known as the king of beasts, and many animals dare not provoke it, yet there is a widespread saying in society that the dhole is the natural enemy of the tiger. Is this true? Why is it said this way?

1. Why the dhole is the natural enemy of the tiger

The claim that the dhole is the natural enemy of the tiger has no basis in itself. The dhole is small in size and has no way to contend with the tiger. The dhole's main prey consists of even-toed ungulates such as deer, muntjacs and musk deer, not tigers, and ordinarily it only dares to eat the leftovers after a tiger has finished feeding. Only when food sources are scarce will dholes hunt tigers as a group when the opportunity arises, usually with several dholes against one tiger, leaving both sides badly injured, until finally the tiger, exhausted, is bitten to death by the dholes that pursue it relentlessly.

2. What kind of animal is the dhole

The dhole is a carnivoran of the family Canidae. It is relatively small in size, smaller than a wolf and larger than a dog. Dholes are social animals, living in groups of as few as 2-3 or as many as 20-30, hunting collectively and using encircling tactics to kill their prey. With sharp claws and teeth, they are fierce by nature and also very agile, with greater fighting power than wolves.

They mainly prey on even-toed ungulates such as deer, muntjacs, musk deer and goats, and sometimes also attack water buffalo. Sometimes they will harass and make probing attacks in groups against fierce beasts such as bears and leopards, attempting to scare them off and snatch the food they have just caught.

As for tigers, dholes generally do not provoke them, and will wait until the tiger has finished eating before sharing the food it has left behind. Only when they are starving and food is very scarce will dholes take the risk as a group of hunting fierce beasts such as tigers.

In life, when we encounter problems, we need to think about them from multiple angles. Simply because there have been instances of dholes killing tigers, it is not advisable to say that the dhole is the natural enemy of the tiger. The food chain itself is complex, and we should look at problems dialectically.