Bengal Tiger Fails Miserably against Mother Bear’s Efforts to Protect Cubs

A wildlife photographer was lucky enough to capture a spectacular moment in nature when a mother bear carried her two cubs on her back and confronted a large female Bengal tiger in India’s Ranthambore National Park.

The mother bear, enraged and courageous, stood her ground against the much larger female tiger, determined to protect the lives of her family.

The conflict likely arose when the mother bear inadvertently disturbed the two mating tigers. The shared images by wildlife photographer Aditya Dicky Singh reveal that instead of fearfully fleeing, the two fierce animals squared off against each other, with the mother bear raising her front legs in a show of dominance for the tiger to acknowledge who the true authority was.

The bear blocked the tiger’s path, growling aggressively as the adversaries drew closer. Her fur stood on end in a threatening display. The two bear cubs clung tightly to their mother’s back, ensuring their safety. The mother bear charged at the startled tiger, roaring and slashing her razor-sharp claws at the tiger and her mate. Both eventually found an escape route and retreated.

Photographer Aditya Dicky Singh shared that in the span of about two minutes, the smaller-sized mother bear managed to instill fear in both Bengal tigers, causing them to flee and safeguard her cubs. Singh said, “A mother bear with her two cubs on her back approached the mating tigers. The female tiger then turned to confront the bear. The bear seemed to be in serious trouble, and we hoped it would run away quickly, but the mother bear had a different plan.”

The two bear cubs remained crouched on their mother’s back while she charged at the female tiger. The male tiger decided not to get involved and stood at a distance observing the drama unfold. We were very concerned for the bear cubs because initially, we underestimated the strength of a mother bear, but then the female tiger, the shining star of southern Ranthambhore, couldn’t even budge the bear. The entire battle took place within two minutes and ten seconds. There were moments when the mother bear seemed to put herself in a precarious situation, but she quickly regained control. In just over two minutes, the mother bear forced the female tiger to retreat. The bear involved in the fight belongs to the sloth bear species, native to the Indian subcontinent and listed as vulnerable in the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List. They feed on fruits, ants, and termites.
On the other hand, the Bengal tiger is one of the largest wild cats in the world, originating from India. Currently, the Bengal tiger population in the wild is estimated to be between 2,500 and 3,300 individuals.