Animals

Moment huge Bengal tiger battles ‘world’s deadliest bear’


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The ‘once in a lifetime moment’ a 660-pound tiger launched a ferocious attack on the world’s deadliest man-killing bear has been caught on camera.

Footage of the incredible battle shows the Bengal tiger pinning down the 300-pound man-killing sloth bear and sinking its teeth into its side.

Another shot shows the bloody six-foot-tall bear stand back up and swipe at the tiger with its claws and teeth causing the big cat to retreat.

The rare encounter took place in the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra, India, and lasted an intense 30 minutes before the rivals went their separate ways.

The bloody bear rises up to swipe back at the tiger (Picture: Mediadrumimages/Arpit Parekh)

Photographer, naturalist, and tour leader Arpit Parekh, 33, from Palghar, captured the battle, which took place just 1,000-yards away from his vehicle.

Arpit said: ‘The tiger was enjoying his afternoon siesta when he suddenly charged ferociously into the nearby thicket.

‘We heard screeching and soon realised the tiger had gotten into a fight with a sloth bear.’

At one point, the bear appears defeated as he cries out in pain and attempts in vain to push the tiger off, who is sinking his teeth further into him.

The bear eventually manages to break free from the tiger’s grip, as the video cuts to the bear slowly walking away with its rival stalking closely behind.

The enemies almost fight to the death to get to the water edge (Picture: Mediadrumimages/Arpit Parekh)
The rare battle took place over an intense 30 minutes (Picture: Mediadrumimages/Arpit Parekh)

But the bear appears to have had enough and suddenly turns around to charges at speed towards the tiger.

It launches itself close to the tiger’s head with its mouth gaping open before its enemy runs briefly towards the water edge.

‘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,’ Arpit added.

‘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 wounded pair eventually went their separate ways (Picture: Mediadrumimages/Arpit Parekh)

‘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 may have an adorable furry façade – but they are the deadliest bears around.

The most notorious of this species was known as ‘the sloth bear of Mysore’, which killed 12 people and mauled two others. It was shot in 1957.

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