Have you ever seen a kill (predator killing a prey) taking place in the wild and the prey being devoured by the predator?! Yes, it is gory, but at the same time it just reiterates the fascinating ways of the jungle. We consider ourselves lucky to have witnessed such an action packed series during one of our trips to the forest. It is needless to say that the air was thick with the heightened sense of excitement and awe in being able to see first hand, the hunting prowess and ruthless nature of one of the predators found in India – ‘Dholes’, commonly known as the Indian Wild Dogs.

This was an encounter that we had when we were at the Kabini Wildlife Sanctuary in Karnataka. As usual we were out on our early morning safari. The day had been a little low on animal and bird sightings and we were about to return to the resort. That’s when we heard a message on the wireless that a pack of Dholes were hunting down a Chital (spotted deer). We rushed to the spot and we saw a fresh Chital kill right besides the game track! The Dogs had made the kill seconds before and as our eyes turned towards the track; we saw a pack of eight Dholes charging towards the kill, to finish off what they had started. The otherwise quiet and peaceful surroundings of the forest had transformed into a stage where an action packed series was being enacted. The Dholes devoured the entire Chital within a span of 20 mins, leaving behind just the carcass!



We consider this to be one of our best wildlife moments till date. The entire sequence has been captured on our blog - ‘Walk the wilderness’. You can read more here