In a normal encounter of a sloth bear against a tiger, who would win?

Agencies,1 May 2024 : An amazing video has come from Pilibhit TR, where the confidence of a sloth bear wins him the day from a stalking tigress. The aggressive charge by sloth bear caught her unaware. VC - Siddhartha singh.@moefcc @PilibhitR @ntca_india @uptourismgov@rameshpandeyifs@NGTIndia pic.twitter.com/snkBXTSIxF

— Sanjay Kumar IAS (@skumarias02) May 2, 2024

In a normal/usual encounter, sloth bears defend and hold their ground quite firmly (especially if the sloth bear has cubs and the tiger is inexperienced) and the tiger decides to forfeit rather than risk injury, especially since sloth bears can stand on their hind legs and fight, which makes them look much more intimidating.

But tigers only forfeit because they do not want injury, but if a tiger is hungry, dedicated to win, and experienced, they are known to hunt and eat bears.

Shared by IAS Sanjay Kumar on X, the video captures the heart-pounding exchange between the animals at Pilibhit Tiger Reserve, Uttar Pradesh.

An amazing video has come from Pilibhit TR, where the confidence of a sloth bear wins him the day from a stalking tigress. The aggressive charge by sloth bear caught her unaware. VC - Siddhartha singh.@moefcc @PilibhitR @ntca_india @uptourismgov@rameshpandeyifs@NGTIndia pic.twitter.com/snkBXTSIxF

— Sanjay Kumar IAS (@skumarias02) May 2, 2024

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The video begins with the tigress swiftly walking through the sides of the way towards the tall grass when it notices a sloth bear approaching. The tigress then takes a moment and sits at a distance, waiting for the sloth bear to cross the road.

As the video progresses, the tigress crosses the road to make sure the sloth bear is gone. However, in the blink of an eye, the sloth bear reappears and aggressively charges at the tigress. The encounter ends with the sloth bear disappearing into the tall grass.

Sharing the video, IAS Kumar wrote, “An amazing video has come from Pilibhit TR, where the confidence of a sloth bear wins him the day from a stalking tigress. The aggressive charge by sloth bear caught her unaware.”

The video garnered many reactions with one saying, “When physical strength matches the aggressive stance, the challenger derives an advantage.” Another user wrote, “Wonderful interactions!”

Last month, a video of a tiger shrewdly using its sense of smell and hunting down a fawn took over the internet. Shared by IAS officer Sanjay Kumar on X, the video also shows how the food chain works in wildlife. The video was from the Jim Corbett Resort in Uttarakhand’s Jim Corbett National Park.