Can lion kills a Tiger ?

Historically, the comparative advantages of the lion against the tiger was a subject of discussion by hunters, naturalists, artists and poets, and continues to inspire popular imagination today. Lions and tigers have competed in nature where Their ranges have been superimposed. They have also faced captivity, whether in deliberate competition or as a result of accidental encounters.

History

In ancient Rome, the poets Dion and Marcial refer to some of the animals that were used. Dion speaks of the hunting of cranes and another one in which four elephants appeared,  while Marcial mentions elephants, lions, leopards, at least one tiger, hares, pigs, bulls, bears, wild boars, a rhinoceros, a buffalo and a bison . Other exotic animals may have been used that are not mentioned in the sources. In an epigram, Martial relates that a coach got his tigress to be able, on the one hand, to approach to lick his hand, and on the other, to rip a lion in his rage, which Marcial describes as "a thing that is not Had seen at any age. " At the end of the 19th century, the Gaekwad of Baroda organized a fight between a lion and a tiger before an audience of thousands, all gave the lion a winner, but, to everyone's surprise, the tiger killed the lion, Gaekwad Bet on the lion, so he had to pay 37000 rupees. 

Jam Sahib of Nawanagar India, has witnessed fights where the Asian lion beat the Bengal tiger four times, that would explain why Gaekwad bet on the Asian lion.  From the first century on, artists inspired by the spectacles of the Roman coliseum painted and sculpted many works depicting fights between lions and tigers, where the lion is always found killing or taming the tiger. Ancient poetry of quarrel between A lion and the tiger in Rome:

No body doubted its value in the ancient world and the Romans thought it a brave and noble animal ... in amphitheaters who always fought in style that gave credence to the desert ... a tiger run and run like a deer before the lion . The tiger-foe, who thinks like a deer, even now inside his vein will find the lion there ... Come, cheeky wolf. On his arrival he fled like a deer before the lion.

The Roman poet Estacio wrote about a famous lion among the crowds known to kill numerous animals, and among the most common animals with which they faced the lion was the tiger, the bull and the bear. However, Estacio tells us about this lion, because despite being the favorite, ended up dying for a weaker animal, which Estacio describes as a "disappointment." In ancient Rome the circus was a building for the exhibition of horse and carriage races, equestrian shows, staging of battles, gladiatorial combat and exhibition of fights and with trained animals. A lion kills tiger in gladiator style fighting stages at the Teatro Verona in Rome. The same lion then went on to kill a horse and donkey in the same fight:

In the circus in Verona, there was a battle between a lion and a tiger, a horse, and a donkey. The tiger at first showed symptoms of fear, and wished to decline the battle with the lion. Nevertheless fought at last with great fury, but, although he frustrated the lion for a time by his state of alert, soon came in close contact with the other's unequaled strength. The horse was terribly terrified first, and became an easy conquest. The donkey, the last one attacked, was all the time quite indifferent, and when at last attacked, they offered kicks with great fury, but in the end they fell. The lion uses mainly its paw, with which it struck tremendous blows.

Another lion defeats tiger in battle for food in the arena of Rome. Engraved in copper by the well-enumerated Italian artist Pietro Aquila (1650-1692 Rome): 

The amphitheater had become so quiet that the clear melody of the flute was clearly audible over the vast space. As soon as the disturbance ceased, the king of the beast, seemingly unhurt by the new visitor, returned to his food. But the cowardice of night beasts in the light of day awoke in the tiger. He saw himself in the crowd shrieking and the player-flute, and seeing the lion's eating, he took the nearest piece of meat. But with a single leap from the lion he leapt forward, roaring aloud, to defend his property. The claws of the tiger tightened the lion and began a fierce fight. The lion directed terrible blows to its antagonist, whom the tiger avoids with marvelous dexterity; The tiger's teeth seized the lion's mane, but at the same moment of the last he tore the upper part of the tiger's head, half the skin, from which a broad trail of blood on the sand, Tiger returned to his cage, where he howled piteously. The grille lifted, and little more than a dark whimper was audible. Either the animal was dying, or the guards had resigned themselves to being able to cure it. The lion stayed strong on its prey, which today no longer argues.

Cicero mentions a single lion that won 200 Bestari (Bestari are fights between animals and gladiators with animals) .


Accidental fights in history

In the records where lions and tigers have clashed in captivity, both the lion and the tiger have come out




Lions won

In 2012, a lion bit its neck and killed a tiger at the Jeonju Zoo in North Jeolla, South Korea. The incident occurred after the lion fell into a ditch, close to where the tiger was found. According to the vets of the zoo, the lion felt the tiger invading its territory and for this reason gave him a wound in the neck, He died instantly after the attack; His neck was bloodied. The feline body was donated to Chonbuk National University.

In 2009, in an unprecedented event at the Liberec zoo in the Czech Republic, two lions entered the cage of a tiger, after lifting one of the entrances to the compound. The workers ran after screaming, but the tiger was dead. According to the workers, the lions felt threatened and attacked to defend their territory.

A lion slaps the face of a tiger in the fight for control of a swimming pool at a zoo in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, eastern China July 18, 2004. The lion finally occupied the cold water of the pool By the heat wave of summer, after he killed his rival in two minutes.

On July 30, 1949, at the Perth Zoo, a lion named Nero attacked a Bengal tiger, after he was literally imprisoned in the cage where the lion was. The confrontation lasted three minutes and in that time the lion managed to attack the throat of the cat. The zookeepers reacted and approached the scene, but they could not save the tiger that finally died. The event was published by the Australian newspaper The Canberra Times.

At a circus in Detroit in 1951 a lion named 'Prince' killed a Bengal tiger while doing his act.
In 1951, a lion named leo killed a tiger named Vikram at a zoo in Jamnagar state of India.
In 1935 there was a fight between a lion and a tiger in a circus. In the confrontation the lion killed the tiger before the eyes of the spectators. The attack occurred in the city of Memphis, United States and was reported by The Bee newspaper.

In 1936 agartala Bengal zoo, a lion kills a male tiger. When a communication gate between two cages was left open by a forgetful zoo attendant, a great tiger has besieged his neighbor, a lion. The fight was fierce but did not last long, the lion literally broke The tiger in pieces.

Tigers won

One record occurred in March 2011, where a tiger at the Ankara Zoo attacked a lion across its enclosure and killed it with a blow to its paw. The tiger cut the lion's jugular vein in one fell swoop with his Leg, leaving the dying animal in a pool of blood, officials said.

In 1857, a tiger at the Bromwich Zoo entered a lion's cage and there was a terrible scene: the lion's mane saved his head and neck from injury, but the tiger got a rip in his stomach, and In a few minutes the lion was dead.At the Coney Island Zoo in 1909, a male tiger killed a lion.





Competition in the wild

Formerly, lions and tigers coexisted in Persia, India, China and probably in Beringia, where some reports of competitions were recorded, 28 whereas at present they only do so in the Gir forest, in India. The habits of these felines are very different: the lion is predominantly diurnal and discovered, contrary to the tiger, more nocturnal and forest, making encounters in the wild difficult. The possibility of conflicts between the two species has been raised in connection with the Asiatic Lion Reintroduction Project, which would introduce Asian lions from Gir National Forest Park to another reserve, the Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary, where there are tigers.Formerly the populations were prolific and there have been several conflicts:

Jungles of India EXCITING SCENE

Our destination was the province called Guzerat, which is a large peninsula northwest of Bombay. We could have proceeded there in a short period of time by the sea, but Mr Barrill took the tortuous land route, in order to see the country. At the end of the first day we camped at the base of a series of mountains, the height of what was supposed to be fifteen hundred feet. These mountains extend completely through western India. In the immediate vicinity of our camp, they were steep and rocky. On the sides were bamboo forests, which looks more straight and more regular than any tree.

At Domus, Mr. Barrill disposed of his fangs to a Persian merchant, about half the price he could have obtained had he transmitted them to Surat. But he was happy to get rid of the load. Domus, as a small town, the locals were kind enough, but understand that some of them were strongly suspected of being involved in piracy. Our officials informed us that the Parsis were very numerous in the northern country, and their enterprise was the main source of their prosperity. At noon on the second day after our arrival at Domus, we arrived at the sight of the famous city of Surat. Its towers and pagodas which gave a stunning appearance ... but as we approached the age of the walls, the deterioration were surprisingly evident. This town is located on the Taptee, about several miles from the point at the mouth, or the bay, empties into the Gulf of Cambay. It is about six miles in circumference, and the shape of an arch, the cable to be the Taptee, which has near its center a small castle garrisoned by sepoys and Europeans. On sides, the city is surrounded by a wall, flanked by semicircular towers. Without the walls we have found some good European houses, formerly occupied by the French, but now the residence of English officers; But the houses within the city were very inferior, consisting only of wooden frames that filled with bricks, its upper floors projecting on the other. The streets were narrow and uneven. Only small boats, called queches, can ascend the river "Surat" however, the city once had a very extensive trade.

We stayed in Surat for three days. During this period, Mr. Barrill made a valuable friendship between the English, and bought some small items that are considered necessary for our comfort. It was found that almost every business in the city was carried out by the "parsis" Hindus being generally as indolent as they were superstitious ...

The jungle was beautiful and lush the dark green foliage of bamboo that contrasts finely with the lighter greenery of the palm and the flowers of many other trees for which it had no name. The encounter of the previous day had left an impression, it is not easy to erase it and we were careful to avoid, as far as possible, consistent with our designs on the game, the thickest forest, where it was difficult to see beyond a few Few yards on each side. The Hindus were all the eye as they marched, and I thought, that every moment, one of them shuddered as if waiting for the terrible tiger to sprout from the bushes and bring it down to earth. We had advanced six or seven niiles, without finding any animal, considered worthy of our rifles, and grew more confidence in our march. Lr. Barrill and I had fallen into conversation about the contrast between the forests of India and South Africa, when a tremendous roar, and the shrieks of the Hindus, sounded with dread in our ears, and brought our quivering horses to a halt. The case appeared in the eyes that turned. The Parsis became paralyzed, the Hindus shrieked and danced, and seemed without a sense of fear. Running away through the jungle we might occasionally take a look at the tiger's striped cut 'and a faint cry told us that he had already taken over his food. Humanity and our own thirst for the distinction in this region, new to us, banished all feelings of fear, and we started at a distance, with rifles ready in search, the rest of the next group, not knowing what to do for safety . The tiger had disappeared under the thick foliage of the bushes, and the cessation of the shouts of the victim left us no clue as to the whereabouts of the ferocious animals.

Suddenly, within fifty yards, the tremendous voice of a lion sounded, a sound he could never forget, and a succession of horrible grunts, snaps, and rustic forts among the bushes, led us to believe that The two tyrants of the forests disputed the dominion. Eager to get a vision of such a terrible fight, we pressed forward until we emerged from a cluster of shrubs, we saw almost at the feet of our horse, the lion and the tiger circling, in a conflict that only death Could interrupt. The shattered Hindu lay senseless on the face a few yards from the ferocious fighters. There was no fire, but he reserved our bullets until the conflict managed to destroy one of the beasts.

It was a horrible fight. The tiger was as big as the lion, and much faster in its movements. But the lion showed a decisive superiority of strength, and his great mane effectively covered his head, yet his body on the sides was broken by the tiger's claws, and for a few minutes the contest was doubtful. Both possessed equal courage and determination, and no provision was evidenced to have a long battle. It was one of the compensations of nature. The tyrants of the forests, who had so long preyed upon the weakest animals, were now paying each other in due form. Come, you ghosts of broken cattle, deer and smaller animals, to gloat with their revenge! Our presence seemed indifferent to the combatants, so the intention was that in that struggle of strength and activity. But the resistance of the lion prevailed "to seize the tiger by the throat, turned on its back, and with its strong claws tore the belly, and, therefore, put an end to his ferocious life. , So that in that it had barely been achieved when simultaneously bullets of our rifles, stretch the lion next to the enemy to whom he had conquered, and his blood mingled in the grass ....

Immediately we approached, hurried to the wounded Hindu, while his companions were occupied with their spears in the defenseless tiger and caresses the head of the lion. The rise of the poor man, he found himself so terribly bitten and torn by the throat, that his chance of life was, but small. Could not talk. After spending a short time in stinking their cowardly revenge against the tiger, their Hindu comrades said they did not have more than enough to hunt tigers on foot, and that they would take the wounded back to ELAW as quickly as possible. Mr. Barrill agreed with them that it was the best course they could undertake, and gave them the tiger skin to wear with them as compensation for their kind of fear. They built a rude litter of branches, upon which they put their wounded companion, then cut the tigers to the head, while our parsis skinned the lion and then fired us. The lion was not as big as the ones we had killed in Africa, its skin was yellowish. In other respects, the mane, there seemed to be no difference between the lions of Asia and Africa.

The tiger was a beautiful animal, the skin is striped as splendid as that of the African zebra. The shape looked like that of the common cat. The eyes were a greyish-gray, which has a fierce look and the appearance of teeth and claws was enough to send a shiver of terror through a person with timid nerves. The roar of this monster, which was the first news of his presence he had received, resembled that of the lion, but it was not so deep and great. When he was enraged as he was during the conflict with the lion, he has a shrill cry that pierces the ear in a most unpleasant way. "

In 1851 by the river Ganges. In the "Landshuter Zeitung" an Asian lion kills a huge Bengal tiger, in the presence of local Indian and German natives.

I will only say one of these terrible fights, one that I would never see again in a hundred years, a scene of blood and death that will always pursue my mind. The lion and its rival, the tiger, need air and space in great quantity. Here, and only here, are they really capable of living and ruling. (A long description of lions, tigers and how fierce they both are, the real event that follows now.) A Malay slave ran up to us and shouted, "Lion! Lion! Down there in the river! A big, fierce lion! "

"One more reason to take shelter in the house," continued the colonel. "Come, my friends, take up arms! The lion is an uncomfortable guest."

We close the doors of the house; The slaves got weapons waiting in the basement. We, to welcome this guest admirably, went up to the gallery from which we could overlook the Ganges. An unusual big lion walked arrogantly down there, not looking around as he does when he has to fight an opponent, but instead wandering slowly and carefully as a philosopher, he headed there. He stopped once in a while to rest for a minute, then went on majestically on his way. Under a magnificent palm tree, he stopped, turned around twice, and finally lay down in the shade. This was the rest of a magnificent ruler who had nothing to fear from any adversary. He rested easily, just like those who have made no enemies.

In ten minutes the lion had been there, when he suddenly rose as if struck by lightning, roared very deeply and scratched the ground with both hind legs, as if defying an adversary. He lowered his head and, in a single jump, jumped on the stem of the palm tree to look around, to the right and to the left. Then he jumped to earth to wait again, and his gaze stopped at a particular spot on the horizon.

"An enemy seems to be approaching," said the colonel, "a terrible enemy if we observe the reaction of the lion. My prediction is that it is going to be a fierce fight, and many rich people would pay a large sum to see if they were here at the moment" .

"And what," I asked him, "do not stage some fights from time to time, if they would be willing to pay so much?"

"Because what we have here is very rare. The lion is not going to fight against a human being, but against a ferocious animal, one as strong as himself, like a rhinoceros, an elephant or a tiger."

"A tiger! It's really a tiger!" One of us shouted, pointing to the dangerous beast that jumped in leaps toward the lion. It was awesome, our eyes went from lion to tiger and tiger to lion. The lion was still on the prowl. It was a terrible spectacle and bet who will win. Now they were face to face with each other. They had seen each other and would not leave unless one of them lay dead on the ground. The tiger was incredibly large and beautiful, with its long black stripes scattered all over the yellowish body. Her fearful eyes seemed to burn, her head lowered. We were standing, at most 200 feet away. The sun shone brightly, so he could see all his movements. I do not think I have to mention that our hearts were in our mouths. The tiger was approaching the lion, but the lion remained calm. In the latter, we could see the force of calm in its powerful position; In the tiger, one might believe to see the violent tension of someone who has the shamelessness of disrespect for a near danger, who had the will to assault. We could see a certain contraction in his legs, but he was not about to flee. Does the crouching tiger want to kill the lion? I think he did, and I admire the courage of the royal tiger, who prefers to lie down in an oven that burns to be accused of cowardice !.

The lion had not moved at all, but he could see what was happening inside him at the sight of his erect mane. From time to time his face suggested a submissive gesture. But he, the king of the animals, did not want to show any fear, but rather the audacity, to his opponent. A duel was already inevitable. For the tiger it can be a glorious day, but for the lion it was definitely a holiday.In 1851 by the river Ganges. In the "Landshuter Zeitung" an Asian lion kills a huge Bengal tiger, in the presence of local Indian and German natives.

I will only say one of these terrible fights, one that I would never see again in a hundred years, a scene of blood and death that will always pursue my mind. The lion and its rival, the tiger, need air and space in great quantity. Here, and only here, are they really capable of living and ruling. (A long description of lions, tigers and how fierce they both are, the real event that follows now.) A Malay slave ran up to us and shouted, "Lion! Lion! Down there in the river! A big, fierce lion! "

"One more reason to take shelter in the house," continued the colonel. "Come, my friends, take up arms! The lion is an uncomfortable guest."

We close the doors of the house; The slaves got weapons waiting in the basement. We, to welcome this guest admirably, went up to the gallery from which we could overlook the Ganges. An unusual big lion walked arrogantly down there, not looking around as he does when he has to fight an opponent, but instead wandering slowly and carefully as a philosopher, he headed there. He stopped once in a while to rest for a minute, then went on majestically on his way. Under a magnificent palm tree, he stopped, turned around twice, and finally lay down in the shade. This was the rest of a magnificent ruler who had nothing to fear from any adversary. He rested easily, just like those who have made no enemies.

In ten minutes the lion had been there, when he suddenly rose as if struck by lightning, roared very deeply and scratched the ground with both hind legs, as if defying an adversary. He lowered his head and, in a single jump, jumped on the stem of the palm tree to look around, to the right and to the left. Then he jumped to earth to wait again, and his gaze stopped at a particular spot on the horizon.

"An enemy seems to be approaching," said the colonel, "a terrible enemy if we observe the reaction of the lion. My prediction is that it is going to be a fierce fight, and many rich people would pay a large sum to see if they were here at the moment" .

"And what," I asked him, "do not stage some fights from time to time, if they would be willing to pay so much?"

"Because what we have here is very rare. The lion is not going to fight against a human being, but against a ferocious animal, one as strong as himself, like a rhinoceros, an elephant or a tiger."

"A tiger! It's really a tiger!" One of us shouted, pointing to the dangerous beast that jumped in leaps toward the lion. It was awesome, our eyes went from lion to tiger and tiger to lion. The lion was still on the prowl. It was a terrible spectacle and bet who will win. Now they were face to face with each other. They had seen each other and would not leave unless one of them lay dead on the ground. The tiger was incredibly large and beautiful, with its long black stripes scattered all over the yellowish body. Her fearful eyes seemed to burn, her head lowered. We were standing, at most 200 feet away. The sun shone brightly, so he could see all his movements. I do not think I have to mention that our hearts were in our mouths. The tiger was approaching the lion, but the lion remained calm. In the latter, we could see the force of calm in its powerful position; In the tiger, one might believe to see the violent tension of someone who has the shamelessness of disrespect for a near danger, who had the will to assault. We could see a certain contraction in his legs, but he was not about to flee. Does the crouching tiger want to kill the lion? I think he did, and I admire the courage of the royal tiger, who prefers to lie down in an oven that burns to be accused of cowardice !.

The lion had not moved at all, but he could see what was happening inside him at the sight of his erect mane. From time to time his face suggested a submissive gesture. But he, the king of the animals, did not want to show any fear, but rather the audacity, to his opponent. A duel was already inevitable. For the tiger it can be a glorious day, but for the lion it was definitely a holiday.

At a jump, they could grab, bite, tear at each other; With a leap they had leaped over the 20-foot space separating them from each other. Then they jumped! The shock equaled the clash of two ships in a storm! We could hear the bones breaking under the weight of their terrible claws, which could see pieces of flesh falling to the ground. They made no sound, but their grunting moans indicated their anger and pain. Neither showed superiority and we wonder who would win. If the lion were to think that he had mastered the tiger, the latter could win the victory with a single movement, breaking the surprised lion.

The fight now lasted 10 minutes, and suddenly, as if they came to an agreement, both loosened their grip to gain their breath again. It was the immobility of rage, but it was the calm of the king. A few moments later, an unexpected incident that resurrected the fight took place: The tiger, who saw not only his defeat but also his death, seized the moment. While his opponent was licking his injured hind leg, he jumped 10 feet to the stem of the tree's palm and stood there. The lion looked around and could not see his enemy any more; He roared, looked up, and did not let the tiger escape. But in this position it was impossible to continue the struggle. They knew that only one of them would survive. The tiger leapt and the lion followed, but his leg made him tremble. A long struggle was no longer possible. Their claws became blunt, their jaws were tired, and they had lost a lot of blood.

The fighters had their jaws locked into each other, since they bit the rest except the head; We could feel the crushed bones. Suddenly, the tiger withdrew, hesitated, and fell to the ground. The lion grabbed him with his terrible claws and seemed as if he wanted to punish the opponent defeated by his resistance.

He did not loosen his grasp, the king of the implacable jungle, the dreaded desert lord; Tore the tiger apart, crushed his skull. Suddenly a river crocodile appeared. He took advantage of the lion on his injured hind leg and dragged him into the water. The only remains of this fight were the dead tiger under the palm of the tree and some read streams of blood on the surface of the water.