Royal Bengal Tiger....in the wild!
After his attack on us in Corbett NP. Taking a pause.
We were attacked by this tiger! Yep. True. Took place in Corbett National Park last Friday, March 9. We were on a safari inside the park for over two hours scouting for signs of a tiger when our guide suddenly saw fresh paw prints on top of vehicle treads. Looking ahead we saw folks from a couple of the park's 4WDs calling us frantically. We drove across and saw an adult male tiger, sleeping in the lantana grass, the camouflage so good we could barely make him out even from 15 feet. The tiger did not move as the minutes ticked by and the other drove away, bored and impatient. We moved closer and took their vantage spot and saw others driving up. Soon there were 5-6 other 4WDs all around us. The tiger suddenly raised his head and pounced towards us with a ferocious growl and hiss, barely 5 feet away from my wife. The charge took us unawares and our driver was so petrified that he stalled the Jeep while starting! Our guide maintained his composure and shouted back aggressively at the tiger, now fangs bared and roaring, ready for the final attack. But hearing the guide the tiger backed away. The whole attack lasted about 10 seconds and I kept clicking even as I fell back from the rush but the tiger was too close and the photos of the attack were blurred. He was too close for my 140-600 mm lens and I could look straight past his open fangs into his pink mouth! The guide's prompt actions saved our lives or one of us would have been mauled that day! He gradually walked away, still angry and sat further back in the shade where I took this pic. Experience of a lifetime! But won't make the fundamental mistake of coming that close to a wild animal. Corbett sees at least 3-4 deaths of local people every year when they get too close to tigers and Leopards, foraging for wood in the dense jungle. The Forest can be hard on intruders. Humans don't belong there.
Royal Bengal Tiger....in the wild!
After his attack on us in Corbett NP. Taking a pause.
We were attacked by this tiger! Yep. True. Took place in Corbett National Park last Friday, March 9. We were on a safari inside the park for over two hours scouting for signs of a tiger when our guide suddenly saw fresh paw prints on top of vehicle treads. Looking ahead we saw folks from a couple of the park's 4WDs calling us frantically. We drove across and saw an adult male tiger, sleeping in the lantana grass, the camouflage so good we could barely make him out even from 15 feet. The tiger did not move as the minutes ticked by and the other drove away, bored and impatient. We moved closer and took their vantage spot and saw others driving up. Soon there were 5-6 other 4WDs all around us. The tiger suddenly raised his head and pounced towards us with a ferocious growl and hiss, barely 5 feet away from my wife. The charge took us unawares and our driver was so petrified that he stalled the Jeep while starting! Our guide maintained his composure and shouted back aggressively at the tiger, now fangs bared and roaring, ready for the final attack. But hearing the guide the tiger backed away. The whole attack lasted about 10 seconds and I kept clicking even as I fell back from the rush but the tiger was too close and the photos of the attack were blurred. He was too close for my 140-600 mm lens and I could look straight past his open fangs into his pink mouth! The guide's prompt actions saved our lives or one of us would have been mauled that day! He gradually walked away, still angry and sat further back in the shade where I took this pic. Experience of a lifetime! But won't make the fundamental mistake of coming that close to a wild animal. Corbett sees at least 3-4 deaths of local people every year when they get too close to tigers and Leopards, foraging for wood in the dense jungle. The Forest can be hard on intruders. Humans don't belong there.