Tigers Are Fearsome Hunters, but Elephants Are Not Easy Prey

Though rare for a tiger to attack a fully grown elephant, young elephants could be in danger of tiger attacks when they stray from their herd. In the Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand, India, both tigers and elephants roam free. Although uncommon, tigers have been known to attack and kill elephants in the park.

About the Jim Corbett National Park

There aren’t many places on earth where tigers and elephants live together. In the Jim Corbett National Park, over 200 Bengal tigers and 1,000 Asian elephants share the land. The park, established in 1936, sits at the foothills of the Himalayas. There are over 600 species of birds and animals living in the park.

The Bengal tiger is an endangered species, with less than 3,000 individuals remaining worldwide. It is vulnerable to habitat loss and poaching. Asian elephants are also globally endangered, with less than 50,000 individuals living in Asia. They are also in danger of poaching. They are killed for their tusks, skin, and meat.

Besides tigers and elephants, the park is home to animals such as rhesus macaques, leopards, wild pigs, crocodiles, and king cobras. Visitors can book tours where guests can take safari jeeps into the jungle to view the amazing and diverse wildlife up close. Some amazing video footage of tigers and elephants interacting comes from people on safari jeeps.

Why Might a Tiger Attack an Elephant?

Although tigers generally steer clear of fully grown elephants, there are times they encounter each other. Tigers have been known to attack elephants in the park, although usually only a younger elephant, or one that is sick and weak.

In one known incident at the park, a tiger stalked and chased a fully grown male elephant for three days. The elephant eventually died from severe exhaustion. Bilal Habib, a senior scientist at the Wildlife Institute of India told India Today that perhaps the elephant had been weakened by an illness or an injury, making him vulnerable to the attack.

In a study conducted by the Indian government, it was found that between 2014 and 2019, there were 13 elephant deaths at the park attributed to tiger attacks. The elephants were mainly juveniles.

How Does an Elephant Defend Itself?

Besides their massive size, elephants defend themselves with their powerful tusks. When threatened, the adult elephants form a circle around the younger members of the group. This protects the more vulnerable group members, while the larger elephants face the threat with their powerful tusks and stomping feet.

An elephant alone is more vulnerable to an attack, yet still a formidable force against a lone tiger. In a YouTube video posted by corbett’s vlog, a tiger in the Jim Corbett Park can be seen attempting to attack an elephant. A safari jeep stops to film the action when an elephant is seen walking through tall grass. In the beginning of the video, the elephant turns towards the tiger on its trail, but then gives it no notice, and continues on its way.

The tiger grows closer, at one point it’s right behind the elephant as the elephant stands waiting for its next move. And then it happens, the tiger rushes the elephant. But the elephant quickly turns around with its powerful tusks now facing the tiger. Elephants are surprisingly agile, given their big size, and the tiger changes its mind about its attack plans. As the video concludes, the tiger runs away with the trumpeting elephant in pursuit.

We can speculate that perhaps the tiger was testing the elephant. Had the elephant shown signs of weakness or illness, the tiger may have continued its attack. However, when the elephant quickly turned around, ready to defend itself, the tiger abandoned its idea of an attack.

In a Fight Between an Elephant and a Tiger, Who Would Win?

As we saw in the video from the wildlife park, a lone tiger is likely to lose a fight to a fully grown, healthy elephant. Bengal tigers are large and the males can weigh over 600 pounds. However, Asian elephants might weigh as much as 11,000 pounds. Despite a tiger’s excellent hunting skills, an elephant is simply too big to be taken down. The tiger is in danger of getting gored in the process by the elephant’s tusks. The elephants that have been killed by tigers in the wildlife reserve were likely either sick or injured and too weak to fight off the tiger attack, or juveniles that hadn’t fully grown into their strength.