Face to face with an angry tiger

W.A.G.7 · 15th June 2012, 14:29

Amazing experience !! Superb!! Words cannot describe the feelling, it must be experienced only. And that experience is the best in any Indian jungle.

I can only imagine what you must have felt in those 3-4 seconds. The tiger looks like it has eaten a full meal shortly before it was spotted by everyone.

shashank.nk · 16th June 2012, 13:31

Superb pics and a very good write up, doc! Keeps you engrossed till the end. I can totally relate to how 3 or 4 seconds encounter with a tiger feels like a lot more than that. The first time i came face to face with a tiger in the wild was at Kabini, even though its been 5 years and the entire sighting was 2 mins, i remember every detail of it

PS: What cam and lenses do you use ?

fazalaliadil · 16th June 2012, 15:41

drk,

Kabini is not a generous place this time of the year when it comes to tiger sightings. You had your share for the year with an highly agitated, charging tiger.

It is for certain that the injuries are not from another tiger, as I have seen all pics of this tiger enlarged. There are no other frontal marks other than the shallow gash on his back. Had it been a territorial fight with another male guarding his territory, it would last several minutes, maybe an hour or more too, or until death of one or both. Their claws and canines are extremely lethal, so you can imagine what degree of damage both can inflict on each other even if they are unmatched, in that duration of the fight. The wound could be probably be due to some big antler or a tree's jagged edge.

The left side upper canine is nearly half broken and the lower one too is more worn out than broken, it could be due to upper case and lower case grinding and interfering with each other. Going by his deep yellow, full length (two and a half inch intact, right canine) and broken canines, he an aging tiger, past his prime. Notice the broken canines are not fresh or they would be jagged/ sharp tipped and not rounded and yellowed too.

Focusing is no problem as the camera does it but hats off to you for keeping him in the frame during the charge. It takes nerves and presence of mind for what you accomplished. More than what the pictures can ever represent had been going on right in front of you, the high bass, blood curdling roars which are designed to freeze and disorient prey, evidently didn't work on you.

Thanks for sharing your good work.
Regards,

ashwin23 · 19th June 2012, 14:50

When I read the title of the thread I wasn't sure whether you meant a car or an actual tiger

.

You sure took a nice picture of an agitated tiger, must have been the experience of a lifetime. Absolutely majestic animal

kaka46 · 22nd June 2012, 18:46

What a fantastic way to start posting on team-bhp! Thank you drkakkilaya for the wonderful pictures. Absolutely stunning and I haven't seen them before. Loved the narration and I'm sure this is one experience you'd be proud to share with your grandkids

It takes more than just courage to capture such moments. When you have a angry cat staring at you right in the face, and that too at a very short distance, keeping yourself composed and clicking such wonderful shots that'll well last over a lifetime is a fantastic achievement.

Thank you once again Sir ! It's raining tigers in team-bhp this summer

PS - This is my first post on team-bhp and what an incredible way to start. Apart from the ownership threads, travelogues were one of the main reasons for me to join team-bhp and I wanted to start off thanking gd sir for his wonderful travelogues but posted here instead. Thanks again.

15th June 2012, 14:29	#46
W.A.G.7 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Pune Posts: 1,385 Thanked: 2,025 Times	Re: Face to face with an angry tiger Amazing experience !! Superb!! Words cannot describe the feelling, it must be experienced only. And that experience is the best in any Indian jungle. I can only imagine what you must have felt in those 3-4 seconds. The tiger looks like it has eaten a full meal shortly before it was spotted by everyone.
	() Thanks

16th June 2012, 13:31	#47
shashank.nk Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,696 Thanked: 1,048 Times	Re: Face to face with an angry tiger Superb pics and a very good write up, doc! Keeps you engrossed till the end. I can totally relate to how 3 or 4 seconds encounter with a tiger feels like a lot more than that. The first time i came face to face with a tiger in the wild was at Kabini, even though its been 5 years and the entire sighting was 2 mins, i remember every detail of it PS: What cam and lenses do you use ?
	() Thanks

16th June 2012, 15:41	#48
fazalaliadil Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 2,022 Thanked: 672 Times View My Garage	Re: Face to face with an angry tiger drk, Kabini is not a generous place this time of the year when it comes to tiger sightings. You had your share for the year with an highly agitated, charging tiger. It is for certain that the injuries are not from another tiger, as I have seen all pics of this tiger enlarged. There are no other frontal marks other than the shallow gash on his back. Had it been a territorial fight with another male guarding his territory, it would last several minutes, maybe an hour or more too, or until death of one or both. Their claws and canines are extremely lethal, so you can imagine what degree of damage both can inflict on each other even if they are unmatched, in that duration of the fight. The wound could be probably be due to some big antler or a tree's jagged edge. The left side upper canine is nearly half broken and the lower one too is more worn out than broken, it could be due to upper case and lower case grinding and interfering with each other. Going by his deep yellow, full length (two and a half inch intact, right canine) and broken canines, he an aging tiger, past his prime. Notice the broken canines are not fresh or they would be jagged/ sharp tipped and not rounded and yellowed too. Focusing is no problem as the camera does it but hats off to you for keeping him in the frame during the charge. It takes nerves and presence of mind for what you accomplished. More than what the pictures can ever represent had been going on right in front of you, the high bass, blood curdling roars which are designed to freeze and disorient prey, evidently didn't work on you. Thanks for sharing your good work. Regards,
	() Thanks

19th June 2012, 14:50	#49
ashwin23 BHPian Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Bangalore Posts: 63 Thanked: 40 Times	Re: Face to face with an angry tiger When I read the title of the thread I wasn't sure whether you meant a car or an actual tiger . You sure took a nice picture of an agitated tiger, must have been the experience of a lifetime. Absolutely majestic animal
	() Thanks

22nd June 2012, 18:46	#50
kaka46 BHPian Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: hyderabad Posts: 59 Thanked: 22 Times	Re: Face to face with an angry tiger What a fantastic way to start posting on team-bhp! Thank you drkakkilaya for the wonderful pictures. Absolutely stunning and I haven't seen them before. Loved the narration and I'm sure this is one experience you'd be proud to share with your grandkids It takes more than just courage to capture such moments. When you have a angry cat staring at you right in the face, and that too at a very short distance, keeping yourself composed and clicking such wonderful shots that'll well last over a lifetime is a fantastic achievement. Thank you once again Sir ! It's raining tigers in team-bhp this summer PS - This is my first post on team-bhp and what an incredible way to start. Apart from the ownership threads, travelogues were one of the main reasons for me to join team-bhp and I wanted to start off thanking gd sir for his wonderful travelogues but posted here instead. Thanks again.
	(1) Thanks