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A character in The Jungle Book

Who is Shere Khan?

By the Library of Alexandria · 2 minute read · Updated 23 oct 2026

In short

  • Shere Khan is a proud, lame tiger in Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book, an enemy of the human child Mowgli.
  • He hunts alone in the Seeonee hills and wants to kill the boy whom the wolves take in.
  • He stirs up young wolves who resent Mowgli, bringing conflict into the pack that shelters him.

Who Shere Khan is

Shere Khan is a solitary hunter whose pursuit of Mowgli brings him to the wolves' den.

The tiger roars at the cave mouth, but he is too big to squeeze through the entrance. His threat meets resistance from Raksha, who claims the child as her own.

What Shere Khan wants

Shere Khan wants Mowgli for himself, and the boy's place among the wolves does not stop his pursuit. As Mowgli grows and learns the jungle's ways, the tiger keeps stirring up young wolves who resent a human among them.

Shere Khan and the others in the story

Shere Khan's hostility contrasts with the care Mowgli receives from Raksha, Baloo and Bagheera. While they help the boy find shelter and learn, the tiger threatens his place in the pack.

Shere Khan's efforts to turn young wolves against Mowgli show how resentment can threaten the protection the pack offers.

Questions

Who is Shere Khan in The Jungle Book?

Shere Khan is the lame tiger who hunts alone in the Seeonee hills and pursues Mowgli.

What does Shere Khan want?

He wants to kill Mowgli and encourages resentment against the boy among the young wolves.

Why can't Shere Khan enter the wolves' den?

He is too large to fit through the entrance, so he cannot reach the child sheltering inside.

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