Rumble in the jungle: sloth bear versus tiger
Wildlife photographer Hakimuddin Saify got more than he bargained for while watching a foraging sloth bear.
The mysterious jungles of central India can be surprising places. It’s difficult to name my favourite location but if I had to choose one it would be the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve in Chandrapur district, which is Maharashtra’s oldest and largest park. I try to visit about three or four times a year.
One afternoon in January, I went on a safari ride with a work colleague through the Junona ‘buffer’ zone – an area of villages and forests. While passing the gates to the Dewada and Agarzari zones, we spotted a villager on his motorbike who was frantically waving at us and pointing to the dry bed of a stream. “Look! Sloth bear!” he said.
Sloth bears are unique amongst bears as insects tend to be their main food source but they can be dangerous when they feel threatened. We kept our distance and started to take photos of the shaggy mammal as it dug around bamboo roots in search of termites – it took no notice of its enthusiastic audience.
Suddenly someone shouted “Tiger! tiger!” From the bushes appeared a crouching big cat that was ready to launch its stealthy attack on the unsuspecting bear. The tiger took its victim by surprise and pierced its long canines into the bear’s back.
At first the bear appeared stunned with what had just happened. Then the whole jungle seemed to come alive as it started to shriek and whimper. After quickly regaining its composure, the ursid got up from the ground. Now on all fours, it turned and charged at the tiger. As the sloth bear took the lead, the feline retreated gradually. The angry bear kept up the pressure with vociferous loud calls and tried to attack the tiger with its long claws, before both animals disappeared inside the bushes. Having lost our view of the dramatic action, we were left to listen to the sound of the bear as the fighters moved into the jungle.
Later, we found out that the tiger, known as Khali, was a dominant male of the region. I’m not sure what happened to the sloth bear but, being a tough animal, I’d like to think it lived to see another day.
The bear regained its composure, got up and charged at the tiger.