In what can be termed as the first record of mixed species association in India, a pack of dholes and a wolf were photographed together at Satpuda Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh. A scientific paper about the same has been published recently in the renowned journal, Canid Specialist Group. The authors of the paper are Pallavi Ghaskadbi, Bilal Habib, Jesan Das and Vineith Mahadev.

‘Opportunistic feeding attempt’

According to the paper, “The first dhole-wolf interaction was recorded on a vehicle safari on 16th March 2020 in the Bagra Tourism Zone of STR. The dhole pack of seven was observed feeding on a cattle carcass and exhibited agonistic behaviour towards a wolf which tried to feed on the same carcass. Intra-pack aggression in dholes has been reported when kills were small and has also been reported in wolves and foxes. Kleptoparasitism has been observed between dholes, tigers, and leopards in Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve. However, this observation seemed more like an opportunistic feeding attempt by the lone wolf which was chased away by the dhole pack.(SIC)”