A tiger was driven off by a defiant watchdog in the Russian Far East after it attempted to snatch a dog dinner.

The incident occurred on 3rd May in Kravtsovka, a village in Khasansky District, in Primorsky Krai, where the same tiger had previously killed two dogs in mid-March.

Video footage shows the tiger emerging from the undergrowth, approaching a chained dog, and then retreating multiple times as the dog barks and lunges, ultimately forcing the predator to abandon the hunt.

Amur tigers, also known as Siberian tigers (Panthera tigris tigris), are native to the forests of Primorsky Krai.

They are increasingly venturing into human settlements, with over 200 reported attacks on domestic animals in the region in 2024 alone.

Experts attribute this rise in encounters to factors such as stray dogs attracted by illegal landfills and the practice of chaining dogs in unfenced areas.

In response to the growing number of human-wildlife conflicts, regional authorities have pledged to expand the hunting inspection service by hiring additional officers.

The Amur tiger population in Russia is estimated to be around 600 individuals, making each human-animal conflict a significant conservation concern.

Commenting on the footage, one netizen said: "That dog is a hero. We need more like him to protect our villages."

While another said: "It's alarming how often these tigers are coming into our towns now."

And a third said: "The authorities must act before someone gets seriously hurt."

(MJ Leidig/newsX)