Tiger’s ambush attack on deer ‘will leave you surprised’

A journalist in India has shared footage showing an ambush attack by a tiger that didn’t go quite as planned.

“This stunning video of a Royal Bengal Tiger chasing a deer in West Bengal’s Sunderbans will leave you surprised,” Piyali Mitra wrote on Twitter.

The footage, credited to Anup Kayal, shows the tiger crouched at the left, waiting for an opportunity to strike, as three unsuspecting deer browse just yards away.

However, as the tiger pounces, the deer scatter, and the tiger chases one into the water.

Susanta Nanda of the India Forest Service observed: “Tigers of Sunderbans mangroves are [adapted] to catch the prey even in water. But here is one that dodged the big cat.”

In the footage the tiger appears to be on top of the deer. But the deer changed direction underwater and surfaced well out of reach, signifying the end of the hunt.

Tigers, quite often, are not successful in catching prey. On average, however, they kill about one large animal per week.

–Bengal tiger image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Story originally appeared on For The Win