Fearless tiger attacks world’s deadliest bear in battle of the predators at Indian reserve
- Guide in an Indian reserve caught the moment a tiger took on a fierce sloth bear
- Incredible encounter took place yards away from a tour group in tiger reserve
- Tiger initially takes the upper hand but grows tired and is forced to flee the bear
This is the moment a tiger launched an attack on one of the world’s deadliest man-killing bears.
The fascinating video was captured by a tour leader in the Todoba Andhari Tiger Reserve in India and shows the two predators face off near a lake.
In one image, the Bengal tiger knocked the 300lb sloth bear to the ground as it temporarily gained the upper hand and the bear can be heard calling out in distress.
A rare sighting of a sloth bear, one of the world’s deadliest predators, and a tiger battling it out over a water supply has been captured by a guide at the Todoba Andhari Tiger Reserve in India
The tiger initially takes the upper hand in the fight, knocking the sloth bear to the ground before taking its prey between his jaws and a fierce struggle ensues between the two of them
After the 660lb big cat grows tired and lets go of the bear, it continues to stalk its prey away from the water’s edge.
But it wasn’t long before the 6ft-tall sloth bear, who was now visibly injured, went on the offence and began swiping at the tiger with its long claws and teeth, causing the big cat to retreat.
Photographer, naturalist and tour leader Arpit Parekh, 33, from Palghar, India, captured the incredible images in the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra, India.
The rare encounter took place just 1,000 yards away from Arpit’s vehicle – lasting an intense 30 minutes.
When the tiger grows tired and lets the bear go, the sloth bear takes its chance to attack
The sloth bear chases the tiger away from its habitat and towards the water’s edge
The tiger is forced to retreat into the water to get away from the fierce sloth bear awaiting
‘The tiger was enjoying his afternoon siesta when he suddenly charged ferociously into the nearby thicket,’ Arpit said.
‘We heard screeching and soon realised the tiger had gotten into a fight with a sloth bear. They eventually moved out into the open.
‘The tiger was able to sink his teeth into the bear and we thought the bear would die but the tiger soon became exhausted and let go. The bleeding sloth bear charged at the tiger and bit him on the leg.
‘Finally after a gruelling battle, the two behemoths decided to call it quits and walked away from each other.
‘It was a once in a lifetime moment to witness and it goes to show how difficult life in the forest can be.
The tiger was forced to skulk away from the fight as the bear also gave up due to exhaustion
‘Look what both animals had to do to get to the water; they had to face life and death challenges. It really emphasises what a precious resource water is.’
Sloth bears, which are native to India, may have an adorable furry façade, but they are the deadliest bears around.
According to National Geographic’s analysis of state data from India, sloth bears have mauled thousands of people and killed hundreds over the last two decades, making the species responsible for more human fatalities per capita than any other type of bear.
The most notorious of this species was known as ‘The sloth bear of Mysore.’
Shot in 1957, this particular bear killed 12 people and mauled two others.
More recently, sloth bears mauled 11 people, one fatally, in a single day in 2017.
Scientists believe sloth bears are one of the most aggressive species because of the large human populations often existing in close proximity to their habitats.