Everyone knows nature can be a harsh mistress. However, many people don't realize how unbelievably cruel the food chain can be until they see some of its scarier players in action. One of these creatures is the dhole, a form of wild dog native to Asia. It's also sometimes called the Indian or Asian wild dog. Whatever you call it, this animal is a sociable, prehistoric throwback of the ice age that survived to modern times to continue its reign of carnivorous terror upon its prey.
Case in point is this video which showcases several dhole kills on sambar deer, buffalo, and more. These animals often hunt in packs and can literally rip their prey to pieces while it is still alive and kicking. In one of the clips, the dhole works as a group to distract a mother buffalo while another group tries to drag her screaming calf away. It's a harsh reminder that nature is rarely fair and is often more terrifying than any horror movie could hope to be. WARNING: Some images in the video may be considered graphic to some.
When you hear people say "Nature is metal," it's like they were talking specifically about the dhole. At the very least it should be in the conversation. Many animals perished towards the end of the ice age. However, seeing footage like this, it's easy to see why the dhole survived until modern times. The brutality of these kills is rather eye-opening. It's not quite the rosy picture of nature Disney movies have painted.
Sadly, the dhole is classified as endangered these days. As you might expect, human and dhole conflicts are common because the animals do not distinguish between wild prey and livestock. They have also been responsible for transmitting diseases to domestic dogs, which has led to their eradication in many areas. The dhole also suffers from plain old habitat loss which has affected so many animals in the modern era.
The dhole's hunting tactics may disturb some people. However, that's just the way things work in nature. Every animal plays a part in the food chain to some extent. Some animals fall in unluckier links in the chain than others. We'd say the prey of the dhole are definitely the unlucky ones!
For more outdoor content from Travis Smola, be sure to follow him on Twitter and Instagram For original videos, check out his Geocaching and Outdoors with Travis YouTube channels.
