The Indian Wild Dog commonly known as the Dhole is regarded as the most successful hunter amongst all wildlife in India, thanks to their ability to hunt as a pack. We have been fortunate to witness the rare spectacle of these pack hunters making a kill in Nagarhole national park and consuming the prey in less than 20 minutes.
We have also had the opportunity to observe the Dhole preparing for a hunt in Bandipur national park. We have seen that once the decision to hunt is taken, a sense of purpose and discipline sets on the pack.And there is always a lot of commotion, hustling and whistling while the Dhole get organized to make the kill. It is then an absolute treat to observe them search for a potential prey and hunt it down in a well coordinated fashion.
What’s striking is that at the time of taking the decision to hunt, there is not always a potential prey in sight. But the pack then demonstrates exceptional team work in methodically searching, finding and then bringing down a prey, sometimes much larger than themselves.
