Can domestic dogs save humans from tigers Panthera tigris?

Attempts were taken to reduce tiger-human conflict in and around the Sundarbans, Bangladesh, from August 2005 to January 2007 using domestic dogs. Keeping one tethered dog with each group of people working in the mangrove forest was found to be effective in reducing the risk of being attacked by tigers Panthera tigris. The dogs warned people of the presence of tiger. The responses of 40 dogs were recorded and verified and it was found that the dogs could detect the presence of any nearby sizeable wild animal with a success rate of 92% but they could not always distinguish tiger from wild boar Sus scrofa or spotted deer Axis axis . Success rate in distinguishing the tiger was 62%. The dogs were particularly useful for honey gatherers because when they smoke the honeycomb visibility becomes poor and they become more vulnerable to attack by tigers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]