WHAT ELSE DO TIGER EAT ?

Tigers feed on a wide variety of other animals. In different parts of India, prey species include gaur, chital (spotted deer), wild pig, wild buffalo, swamp deer, nilgai and hog deer. Some individuals are bold enough and adept enough to kill a rhino calf from right under its mother’s nose; or a elephant calf from amidst a herd. Tigers have also been known to kill and eat sloth bears and leopards. A tiger in the Ranthambore Tiger Reserve killed a large crocodile! On occasion, a hungry tiger will kill and eat smaller animals too, like a langur or a porcupine.

The key to a healthy tiger population is a healthy prey animal population (or prey base, as it is called by scientists). The larger the prey base in a forest, the more tigers it can support.