Tiger with a Sambar kill. As we drove around Ranthambore National Park, Rajasthan, India we heard the unmistakable alarm call of a Sambar. We headed off in the direction of the alarm call to find this Tiger had taken down a female Samba on the valley floor below us. We had missed the kill by just a few minutes. We then watched as the tiger dragged the deer a considerable distance to a pool of water. The weight of the Sambar meant the Tiger had to do this in many short steps, resting in between. It was clear the Tiger was exhausted having dragged this very heavy Sambar (they can weigh between 130-230kg) for such distance. Female Tigers can weigh between 100-160kg, so it is likely that the Sambar was heavier than the Tiger. Having got to the water the Tiger cooled off before dragging the Sambar back out of the water. The Tiger lay down and recovered from her efforts. She would start to eat the kill after we left.
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