It was almost the end of a two day photography workshop at Thekkady. The last walk session had been very productive and we were walking back towards the trek office. I was trying some random iPhone panorama shots of the plain and water-body, when I heard our instructor, Sudhir Shivram call out.
We saw a few wild dogs (Dhole) running out of some bushes. As we started clicking, we realized that there were quite a few of them... soon, there was a pack of 20+ dogs running and playing around there.
For nearly fifteen minutes, we watched them (including a few puppies) play and mark territory. Then they disappeared into some other bushes.
We walked further and the group suddenly spotted a Great Indian Hornbill perched on a tall tree. As I tried getting my tripod in place, it flew away, giving me this out of focus BIF.
It was getting late, and we crossed the water body on a raft and were climbing up to the exit. Now I am not sure who spotted it first but there was a shout and we looked across towards where the Dhole had been playing. Sudhir, who must have used his 800mm lens to get a good visual, shouted that the dogs were killing a sambar and he shot off like a rabbit, in spite of his heavy lens and tripod. I hesitated for a second if I should do the same; what the heck, I was here for photography and such an opportunity could not be missed. My Sigma would at best get me 500mm but that's better than nothing.
Here's one of the first shots I got with my Sigma.
You can see that the sambar was still standing up. At least 8 or 9 dogs were attacking it; the dog at its tail was already tearing flesh of the sambar's back. One dog was standing watch.
Exactly 3 seconds after this photo was taken, the sambar was down on the ground. Within two minutes, the dogs were tearing into the sambar's flesh. Mind you, the sambar was still "alive" at this time.
This requires a closer look, for the gory detail.
I waited for a few minutes, shooting in video mode too, but I could not watch it much longer. Sambar served with idli or dosa is fine, this was too raw for my liking. Of course, out in the jungle, it was just another meal.