The mother tiger caught a Sambar deer while hunting with four young cubs in the Bandhavgarh tiger reserve in Madhya Pardesh state, India.
In a struggle that lasted more than 20 minutes, the hungry tiger clamped its teeth into the deer’s neck in an attempt to kill its prey. But the deer did not give up easily as it bravely attacked the predator in an attempt to escape.
The intense battle between tigers and deer was captured by photographer Sudhir Shivaram, 43, during his exploration at the Bandhavgarh tiger reserve.
“We were visiting Bandhavgarh tiger reserve when we spotted a tiger chasing a deer running down the hill,” said the 43-year-old photographer. “The tiger quickly grabbed the deer and tried to knock the prey down. The struggle lasted 20 minutes and the deer won.”
While being bitten by the tiger’s neck, the deer used its hind legs to launch kicks in the face of the predator.
“This is the first time I have seen a tiger hunt at such a close distance. The opportunity to see tigers hunting in the wild is extremely rare,” said photographer Shivaram.
Photographer Shivaram said four tiger cubs at one point rushed to support their mother to take down the prey.
The deer seemed to have no chance of survival when the hungry tiger changed its tactic of biting on its hind legs.
But with tireless efforts, the deer finally escaped from the clutches of the hungry tiger.