It is not advisable to put any dog or a group of dogs in a situation where they must confront or be confronted by a wild beast, as it could result in serious injuries and deaths for most of the dogs.
The killer instincts of the wild beasts, such as the big cats, are stronger than any known breed of dog known to Mankind.
Big cats such as tigers, hyenas, Jaguars, lions, etc are superior in the canine world.
But in a hypothetical situation when dogs must defend themselves against a lion, we will discuss the breeds and numbers of dogs needed for this battle.
The King of the Jungle:
Lions are regarded as the king of the jungle because of their dominion over other wild creatures. Their power and strength are revered.
Lions don’t live in jungles; they live in open savannahs where they prey on antelope, zebras, giraffes, buffalo, etc.
The saying “King of the jungle” means lordship over other animals and not their natural habitats.
Lions enjoy relaxing, and they rest for over 20 hours daily. In a sense, they live the life of a king, which is why they are also considered the king of the jungle.
Lions fear no animals, and they have no natural predators except humans.
Unfortunately, the furs of a lion are used for fabrics and are valuable and in high demand in the black market.
This has encouraged poaching and has made lions an endangered species.
Lions live in groups called Prides. These pride consist of six (6) related females, their dependent’s offspring, and 2–3 resident males that joined the pride from elsewhere.
What are the natural enemies of a lion?
The two important factors to a lion are food and territorial space.
It is not surprising to know no breed of dog is an enemy to the lion.
Both animals live in different habitats and past years, there has been little contact between them.
These parameters will be used to study any known enemy.
Food:
Anything or anyone impinging on their ability to acquire and secure food may become an enemy. In such cases, Hyenas are enemies to the lions.
Hyenas eat and compete for the same food as lions. They interact frequently with each other.
Territory:
As earlier said, the worst enemy of a lion is humans because the worst threat to wild animals is securing their natural territory.
Not only do humans take their territory by encroaching, but they also poach, introduce disease, and destroy their concealments.
Humans take their prey animals and hunt them for sport, killing off the most prized big males that collapse the gene pool.
Since dogs don’t live in the same habitat, they are not enemies of lions; how can they kill a lion in a fight?
Combination of different breeds of dogs:
There is no particular breed of dog that stands a chance to confront a lion in a one-on-one battle, not to imagine defeating or killing the king of the jungle.
For dogs to stand a chance against the king of the jungle, the selection of different breeds and their numbers for their complementary strengths has to be paramount.
The selection will border on the strongest, fastest, most powerful bite force, most intelligent, stamina, and endurance.
The contest must also include various breeds and numbers of dogs, the selection of which will be discussed.
The Turkish Kangal:
The Turkish Kangal is arguably one of the strongest breeds of dogs known.
They were specifically bred to protect livestock from wolves because of their deadly fighting prowess.
They have a bite force of 743 psi, more than 3x stronger than the Doberman!
Their bite force is the strongest of any dog breed, including some wild beasts like wolves and surprisingly lions.
The Turkish Kangal has a stronger bite force than the lions, whose bite force is 650–700 PSI.
The Turkish Kangal weighs 70 kg, which is more than most dog breeds, so it will also be chosen for its weight alongside biteforce and fearless fighting drive, which is more than wolves.
American Pitbull Terrier:
The American Pitbull has a solid build, jaw strength, and heroic history.
They were famously used for bloodsport and bull baiting by Britain, which is an added advantage in this contest.
They are tenacious fighters with much aggression on display and will fight the lion with the last drop of their blood.
During fights, they attack what is more exposed and not just the necks of other animals, which is a big addition because the lion is guarded by a helmet mane, which is patches of hair called elbow tufts.
The American Pitbull Terrier also has a great stamina level and a relentless, never-backdown spirit, which will be helpful when mixed with other breeds of dogs in this hypothetical fight between a lion.
Tibetan Mastiff:
They are one of the largest breeds of dogs known. They are powerful, muscular, and massive.
Tibetan Mastiff has some peculiar characteristics with a lion. They are said to be magnificent and alert as lions.
They have double coats, which will be more difficult to tear apart by a lion, unlike the other breeds that will suffer significant damage, if not death, by the claws of a lion that are as sharp as a razor.
Their coats are similar to a lion’s mane, which means they will suffer less damage from a neck bite or claw mauling so it will be advisable they attack first to create a false impression Other breeds also have double coats.
Tibetan Mastiff weighs 90-150 pounds. They are one of the few breeds of dogs that comes close to a lion. A lion weighs 190 kg.
Rhodes Ridgeback:
They are also known as the African lion dog due to their history of helping hunters to hunt lions in the savannah.
Rhodes Ridgeback also used to fend off leopards, baboons, and other deadly predators.
They have a similar athletic build as the American Pitbull; they are fast at running, intelligent, and naturally used to the wild.
They are courageous and strong-willed, which means they won’t run away when the lion is having a feast on other challengers.
Rhodes Ridgeback needs their nails well-trimmed for easy and fast movement in this contest, as untrimmed nails can be painful for them to run or walk.
The Contest:
Any hypothetical fight will have to take place in a confined space/cage; otherwise, the dogs will run away when they see their colleagues being mauled by just the razor-sharp claws of the king of the jungle.
A lion has a bite force of 600–700 psi, which is only less than the Turkish Kangal, and quite unfortunately for the dogs, the neck of a lion is covered by a helmet-like structure called a mane.
The mane will prevent any significant damage from the bite of the dogs if they ever get that close due to their numbers.
The razor-sharp claws of lions, when compared to the blunt claws of dogs, do great injustice to our human companion animals.
A larger number of dogs will suffer severe damage and possible death from only the claws of the king of the jungle, which is enough to fracture a cow’s spine.
The large size of a lion and their strong legs and sharply pointed claws enable them to wrestle any breed of dogs to the floor and maul them within a few seconds.