Why doesn't a herd of deer attack tigers even though they heavily outnumber tigers?

NEGI RK Sunday, January 24, 2021

Why doesn't a herd of deer attack tigers even though they heavily outnumber tigers?

For the purposes of this question I’m going to use a Siberian Tiger as an example, though Bengal Tigers also prey on deer.

This is a Siberian Tiger:

Meow, muthafucka

It varies quite dramatically in size, but females can weigh 180kg and males are even larger, sometimes surpassing 300kg.

It’s also made up of 98% teeth, claws and muscle, and is an apex predator that loves to chow down on some venison when it can get it.

This is a Siberian Musk Deer:

I…I know Krav Maga, you don’t want any of this buddy

It’s a 7 - 17kg bundle of nerves and paranoia. Its skills include running away, and pretending to be a vampire with its tusks.

Unfortunately tigers don’t know what vampires are. This is bad news for the musk deer.

Think about what that deer would be able to do to a tiger at least 10 - 20 times its size. Even if there are 20 of them, they’ve got no chance.

Of course there are larger prey species of deer in tiger habitats, some of which have antlers which I suppose could cause injury. The tiger is still well equipped for taking down bigger deer species and would make short work of even a large male.

There’s also the fact that it isn’t how prey animals’ minds work.

There’s safety in numbers, and the deer have more chance of surviving if they run away (at most one individual will be caught) rather than ganging up on the tiger (which could easily kill several deer if cornered). Tigers rely on stealth though, and it wouldn’t stick around if the hunt was unsuccessful against a bigger foe.

I reckon a male deer would also be quite happy to see another male get eaten. There’s no point jumping in to save your love rival only to see him snatch the doe of your dreams afterwards.

Be honest, if you’re on a trip to the Russian wilderness with 10 of your mates (flights were cheap, I dunno) and you see a tiger, would your first instinct be to fight it off, or get the hell out of there and leave your most unfit friend to die?