In terms of physique and strength, deer are inferior to tigers, which is why deer are the preferred prey of tigers. However, a rare moment was captured, showing a deer courageously fighting back and managing to escape the claws of a tiger.
The incident was documented by nature photographer Sudhir Shivaram, a 43-year-old living in Bangalore city, India. It took place at Bandhavgarh National Park in Madhya Pradesh, India. The photographs depict a female tiger stalking a deer to find food for her four cubs.
Although the prey was caught, after 20 minutes of fierce resistance from the deer, the mother tiger accepted the deer’s escape as it was unable to deliver a fatal blow, despite moments where it tightly gripped the deer’s throat.
Despite being weaker and facing numerous life-threatening situations, the deer struggled and managed to free itself from the powerful jaws of the tiger, even delivering a final kick to the predator before fleeing into the forest.
“This female tiger has four cubs, so she needs to hunt regularly to feed them,” Sudhir, the photographer who witnessed the entire incident, explained. “While we were on the grassland, we spotted a tiger chasing a deer down the hill.”
“The deer truly showed bravery. It courageously fought against the predator for 20 minutes,” Sudhir added. “Although the tiger made several attempts to subdue the deer, it never gave up hope and always tried to find a way to escape.”
Sudhir mentioned that there were moments when the four tiger cubs also joined the struggle, trying to assist their mother in capturing the prey, but their efforts were in vain.
“This was the first time I could witness such a close encounter of a tiger hunting. It was a rare opportunity to see firsthand a tiger hunting in the wild and capturing the entire sequence was truly fascinating,” Sudhir shared.
Although the deer managed to escape the predator, it suffered significant injuries and had profuse bleeding, making it unlikely for the deer to survive for long due to infections from these wounds.
The photo series captures the encounter between the deer and the tiger before the deer escapes into the forest:
The tiger chasing the deer before pouncing on its prey.
The tiger relentlessly trying to overpower the prey.
The deer being pulled back by the tiger, unable to continue its escape and forced to engage in a struggle.
Despite being tightly gripped and bitten on the neck, the deer fights back, trying to find a way to escape.
The tiger cubs also join in, attempting to assist their mother in capturing the prey.
