Inter-species Conflict

Interspecies Conflict - Page 1&2: How Likely Are Lion/Tiger Encounters? | 3: Fight Rituals |
4,5&6: Historic Fights
| 7: Modern Lions & Tigers | 8: Size Comparisons9&10: Bears | 11: Snakes & Crocs
|
12: A Game -- The Crocodile Challenge | 13: The Ultimate Carnivore | 14: Feedback 
The Maharajah of Gwalior:

*In the 1930s the Maharajah of Gwalior carried out an interesting experiment.

He believed that lions had once inhabited the local forests and chose to import three pairs of African Lions as breeding stock.

The selected release area was the Shivpuri-Sheopur forest which covered over 1,000 square-miles. A walled enclosure allowed for acclimatization.

As was typical of the day, live food was provided in the form of buffalos. Baiting of this type is now illegal in India.

In four years within the enclosure the Lions thrived and bred. They were then released into the surrounding area in pairs. Of the original six, one pair were shot as they turned to attacking local livestock; had these lions not been killed it is likely they may have turned man-eater, or been poisoned by the villagers.

The other lions spread out in the forest, but were apparently mauled and killed by the local tigers.



Though the lions were killed there are a lot of holes the story:
    • The lions were out of their natural habitat.
    • They had been all but hand fed for four years and must have lost some of their hunting skills during that time.
    • Wild male lions face competition from challengers on a frequent basis. These males wouldn't have needed to defend pride females within the acclimatization period.
    • They were released in pairs. Lions hunt as a group and this lack of a pride would have been a significant disadvantage. Males rarely hunt and are not good at this.
    • We are also only assuming the lions were wild caught and not actually captive bred.
    • There is little on the tiger mauling claim other than the brief comment recorded here. It seems equally likely a combination of circumstances could have led to the deaths. Perhaps the lions were already in a weakened state when attacked, or perhaps they died and the tigers ate the carcasses afterwards; tigers are opportunistic and will eat carrion.

Interspecies Conflict - Page 1&2: How Likely Are Lion/Tiger Encounters? | 3: Fight Rituals |
4,5&6: Historic Fights
| 7: Modern Lions & Tigers | 8: Size Comparisons9&10: Bears | 11: Snakes & Crocs
|
12: A Game -- The Crocodile Challenge | 13: The Ultimate Carnivore | 14: Feedback

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Photography With Thanks To Ralf Schmode (Photo 1)
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