A video from Maharashtra’s Tadoba National Park showing the duel between a sloth bear and a tiger has gone viral on social media. The sheer resilience that the female bear shows in the fight as it counters repeated attacks from the tiger has left many wildlife observers astounded and surprised.
The video starts with the tiger charging on the bear but later the bear retaliates in equal measure. As the video progresses, the bear seems tired but unwilling to give up against the tiger. Sunil Nayak a Mumbai-based senior management professional was witness to the fight.He shared his experience with amazement to DNA,” Even the guide who was with us felt that this was an extremely rare sight. It was quite a close fight. It was very thrilling and nail-biting. We thought that the tiger will overpower the bear. But the bear knew one thing that if it gives access to it’s neck to the tiger then she would loose the fight and her life. Hence, the bear dug her neck between her legs and curled herself when the tiger pounced on her. The bear used its lighter weight to push the tiger back. We were extremely lucky to witness such a fight.”
The video recorded a couple of days back has given wildlife enthusiasts an opportunity to see predatory behaviour in the jungle in greater detail. Saresh Lodhi, a wildlife photographer admits that sightings of tiger are very high but bear sightings are very rare. “ You see many animals in Tadoba National Park in all their splendour. However, tiger and sloth bear fight is a rare occurrence. In my last 25 years, I have seen such fight only once before. It is equally rare to see such a fight getting documented. Both could get equally…