Tag: India

Surreal footage shows tiger chasing bear through forest

“Jungles never cease to amaze us,” an Indian Forest Service officer stated after sharing footage of the pursuit in a tiger reserve.

Tigers sometimes prey on sloth bears in India, but predation attempts are rarely witnessed.

The accompanying footage, captured in the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve, shows a sloth bear fleeing for its life as tourists watch from a safari vehicle, anticipating what might happen next.

Nearly 15 seconds after the bear passes, in a grainy scene captured from another vehicle, the tiger is shown bounding across the road in hot pursuit.

“Jungles never cease to amaze us,” Ramesh Pandey of the Indian Forest Service exclaimed Wednesday via X, crediting Siddharth Singh for the footage.

Although tigers occasionally prey on sloth bears, the two species can thrive together in shared protected habitat, according to Wildlife SOS.

Sloth bears can weigh nearly 300 pounds. Their diet consists mostly of termites, ants, carrion, fruits and plants, and small mammals.

As viewers can see, they’re not at all sloth-like in their movements, especially when they fall under attack.

Eerie footage shows ‘ghost of the forest’ entering residence

“Look who is silently entering into a home,” reads the social-media description of the video, captured in rural southern India.

A motion-sensor camera in southern India has captured rare nighttime footage of a fabled black panther lurking on the patio of a residence at night.

“Look who is silently entering into a home near Coonoor, Nilgiris,” Kishore Chandran described Thursday via X.

Coonoor is known for its sprawling tea plantations in the Nilgiri Hills.

The term black panther typically refers to a melanistic (all-black) leopard. The animal in the footage appears to be crossing in front of the home’s main door.

Susanta Nanda of the Indian Forest Service shared Chandran’s post under the heading, “Ghost of the forest comes looking…”

In 2022, BBC Earth elaborated on the stealthy creatures: “Black panthers (Panthera pardus) are sometimes referred to as ‘the ghost of the forest’ because their dark fur allows for stealthy attacks in the dead of night.”

(Panthera pardus is the scientific name for a leopard.)

Chandran’s post inspired plenty of commentary.

One of the more popular comments:

“Enthusiasts spend a lifetime combing jungles to get a glimpse of the Black Panther! And here he is… roaming casually at this guy’s house… insane!”

Another observation: “At night, this would look more dangerous than a tiger.”

There were also references to the fictional “Jungle Book” character Bagheera, friend and protector of the ‘man-cub’ Mowgli.

The black panther in Chandran’s post appears to be traveling solo, looking out primarily for No. 1.

Men run for lives from angry elephant; it doesn’t end well

Footage captured in India shows two men running for their lives and one of the men falling and being kicked by the pachyderm.

A motorist in India on Wednesday captured footage showing two men running for their lives from an elephant and one of the men being kicked by the pachyderm.

The accompanying footage, which began to circulate via social media on Thursday, illustrates why it’s important to remain inside vehicles where large animals are present.

The Wayanadgram Instagram description states that the footage was captured by a man named Sawad as he and his family were en route to the resort city of Ooty.

It shows the men frantically trying to outrun the elephant while another person stayed close to them in a red car.

It was a harrowing encounter even for those in Sawad’s vehicle, as a woman is heard screaming in apparent fear for the mens’ lives.

After one of the men lost his footing and fell alongside the road, the elephant slapped him with its trunk and kicked him before ending the chase.

It was not clear why the elephant charged or if the man was seriously injured.

The clip was shared via X by Susanta Nanda of the Indian Forest Service, who remarked: “Just showing who the boss is.”

Dog escapes attacking leopard, thanks to pet owner’s actions

Video from a home in India shows a leopard sneaking up on a dog, grabbing it and leaping off a balcony before its owner comes to the rescue.

A surveillance camera at a home in India captured footage of a leopard sneaking up on and attacking a dog lying on a rug on an outside balcony.

Video shows the leopard grabbing the dog, leaping off the balcony and trying to run off with it only to be foiled by the pet owner, whose screams and chase of the animal was enough to prompt the release of the dog.

Once it was freed from the leopard’s grasp, the dog quickly ran in the opposite direction.

The incident occurred on January 20 at 3:22 p.m. in the municipality of Coonoor, Tamil Nadu, according to Newsflare.

Nature Is Metal posted the video on its Instagram account. Newsflare also shows the video. (Note: To view on some servers, you might have to click on the link.).

 

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Nature Is Metal reported that the dog escaped with no injuries, saying, with a bit of humor, “The man was never seen again, but the dog made it out OK.”

Footage showing safari tourists crowding tiger sparks outrage

Footage shows Indian safari vehicles crowding around the tiger in actions that appear to violate tourism and safety standards.

Video footage showing tourists crowding a tiger as the animal attempted to navigate a forest road in India has sparked outrage on social media.

The accompanying footage, shared this week by Parvenu Kaswan of the Indian Forest Service, shows tourists in safari vehicles shouting in excitement while surrounding the tiger and causing the animal to become wary.

“What [the] tiger must be thinking?” Kaswan stated via X.

The vehicle operators’ actions, which appear to violate tourism and safety standards, inspired several viewers to express their displeasure.

“Such horrible tourism,” one follower wrote.

“How can this be ever permitted?” another asked. “This is absolutely preposterous. Tigers are not for entertainment and they don’t exist to promote tourism. What is being done to stop this?”

NDTV in India reported that the tourists were “making an uneasy situation for the tiger” and described their behavior as “disturbing.”

Wild animals are supposed to be observed from a distance that’s safe for the animals and tourists. Actions that alter a wild animal’s behavior, such as those shown in the video, could be deemed harassment.

Cobra’s unique hiding place inspires warning: ‘Be extra careful’

A wildlife expert in India has asked residents to exercise caution after footage surfaced showing a cobra emerging from a woman’s shoe.

A wildlife expert in India has asked residents to exercise caution after footage surfaced showing a cobra emerging from what appears to be a woman’s shoe.

“Cobra trying a new footwear,” Susanta Nanda of the Indian Forest Service joked via X. “Jokes apart, as the monsoon is coming to a close, please be extra careful.”

In the footage posted below, the cobra reveals its hood in a defensive posture and strikes in the direction of the videographer.

Cobra encounters increase dramatically during India’s monsoon season, when more snakes slither into manmade structures while trying to escape flooding.

The highly venomous Indian cobra, which can measure to about 5 feet, is one of the most dangerous snakes in India.

Footage shows that lions, tigers aren’t always kings of beasts

Indian Forest Service employees have shared footage suggesting that lions and tigers do not always own the right of way in their respective domains.

Indian Forest Service employees have shared footage suggesting that lions and tigers do not always own the right of way in their respective domains.

Ramesh Pandey’s footage shows a napping tiger smartly dashing off to allow a large elephant to pass on a forest trail.

“Lord of the jungle versus King of the forest. Here the titans avoid a clash and give space to each other,” Pandey described in his X post.

That drew a response from Susanta Nanda, who posted footage showing two male lions waking and exiting a trail to allow two rhinos to pass. (Both clips are featured below.)

Nanda: “Neither the Tiger, nor the lions are king of the jungle… It’s all situation specific.”

Both men routinely feature wild animal behavior in their posts.

Can you spot the leopard hiding in the Indian forest?

A photographer in India has shared an image from Rajaji National Park, asking followers if they can spot the leopard hiding in the forest.

A photographer in India has shared an image from Rajaji National Park, asking followers if they can spot the leopard hiding in the forest.

“Spot the Leopard in this frame if you can,” Trikansh Sharma tweeted this week.

It’s not a difficult quiz for those with a keen eye, but forest growth or debris might play tricks on the imagination. (The answer is provided in the link at the bottom of this post.)

“I can see a tiger and a leopard in this frame,” one follower expressed, only to later acknowledge that what he thought was a tiger was merely a clump of leaves.

Photo: Trikansh Sharma

Another follower complained that it was difficult to spot the leopard in “such a low-resolution image,” only to be informed by Sharma that others had easily located the leopard.

Rajaji National Park, also known as Rajaji National Tiger Reserve, is home to about 250 leopards.

While leopard sightings are considered rare and exciting, the expansive park, at the foothills of the Himalayas, is most famous for its wild elephant population.

CLICK HERE to verify the location of the leopard in Sharma’s image.

Watch leopard’s incredible leap to catch monkey in opposite tree

A tourist in India has captured footage showing a leopard leaping several meters from tree to tree to catch a monkey on a branch.

A tourist in India has captured extraordinary footage showing a leopard leaping several meters from tree to tree to catch a monkey on a branch.

“This is why leopards are known as [the] most opportunistic and versatile hunters,” Susanta Nanda of the Indian Forest Service stated on Twitter.

Nanda did not identify the person who captured the footage, which begins with a leopard’s failed attempt, and a fall to the forest floor, before the monumental leap and capture.

The Indian leopard is a subspecies that is found across the Indian continent.

ALSO: Video shows Yellowstone tourist trapped in restroom by giant bison

According to the World Land Trust, “They are opportunistic hunters built for strength rather than speed, with large sculls and powerful jaw muscles to kill medium-sized herbivores.”

Watch: Selfie-seeking tourists run for lives from angry elephants

Footage has surfaced from India, showing three men fleeing from charging elephants after they had tried to capture selfies with the massive pachyderms.

In Yellowstone National Park, tourists often approach bison in the hope of capturing closeup images, and many have ended up in a hospital.

Apparently, in Indian forests, tourists have found an even larger animal with which to play this game of who can get closest for a selfie.

The accompanying footage, tweeted by Susanta Nanda of the Indian Forest Service, shows three men running for their lives from elephants that did not appreciate their company.

“For having a selfie, they not only do foolish things, but do them with enthusiasm,” Nanda wrote.

In the footage, one of the tourists stumbles and falls, and looks back in terror before rising and continuing to flee.

ALSO: ‘Dominant’ brown bears brawl over fishing rights in Alaskan river

Asked by FTW Outdoors if any of the men were injured, Nanda joked: “It was pure bad luck for the elephants. All of [the men] escaped without any major injuries.”

As with bison, the largest land mammals in North America, Indian elephants are massive critters that appear docile most times, but are dangerously unpredictable.

Reads one of the comments beneath Nanda’s post: “Encroaching wildlife and their habitat is not only dangerous but also a crime. Where are the forest guards on duty?”