Post by Admin on Sept 18, 2013 11:16:43 GMT
BEARS by Richard Perry:
In the Himalayas, a case occurs from time to time of a tiger preying on bears, both black and brown. Nevertheless, some of the very large black bears of that region are powerful enough to achieve the incredible and defeat a tiger in a fair fight. Jim Corbett watched a tiger and an exceptionally large black bear fighting over the former's kill. His account of this unique experience throws a most unexpected light on the bearas a predator. The tiger had been eating for a quarter of an hour when Corbett caught sight of the bear strolling along the crest of the hill:
Suddenly he stopped, turned facing downhill, and lay flat. After a minute or two he raised his head, sniffed the wind, and lay flat. The wind was blowing uphill and the bear caught the scent of flesh and blood, mingled with the scent of the tiger. Presently he got to his feet and, with bent legs and body held close to the ground, started to stalk the tiger.
He had possibly two hundred yards to go and though he was not built for stalking, he covered the distance as smoothly as a snake and as silently as a shadow. The nearer he got the more cautious he became. I could see the lip of the fifteen-foot drop into the hole, and when the bear got to within a few feet of this spot he drew himself along with belly to ground. Waiting until the tiger was eating with much gusto the bear very slowly projected his head over the lip of the hole and looked down, and then as slowly drew his head back. His opportunity came when the tiger was cracking a bone. The bear drew himself to the edge and, gathering his feet under him, launched himself into the hole with a mighty scream - to be answered by an even mightier roar from the tiger. The fight may have lasted three minutes, or it may have lasted longer. Anyway, the tiger broke off the engagement and came along the open ground in front of me at a fast gallop, closely followed by the still screaming bear. Blood from a number of deep cuts seeping through the thick fur on his neck and in several places his scalp was torn right down to the bone, his nose being torn in half.
In the Himalayas, a case occurs from time to time of a tiger preying on bears, both black and brown. Nevertheless, some of the very large black bears of that region are powerful enough to achieve the incredible and defeat a tiger in a fair fight. Jim Corbett watched a tiger and an exceptionally large black bear fighting over the former's kill. His account of this unique experience throws a most unexpected light on the bearas a predator. The tiger had been eating for a quarter of an hour when Corbett caught sight of the bear strolling along the crest of the hill:
Suddenly he stopped, turned facing downhill, and lay flat. After a minute or two he raised his head, sniffed the wind, and lay flat. The wind was blowing uphill and the bear caught the scent of flesh and blood, mingled with the scent of the tiger. Presently he got to his feet and, with bent legs and body held close to the ground, started to stalk the tiger.
He had possibly two hundred yards to go and though he was not built for stalking, he covered the distance as smoothly as a snake and as silently as a shadow. The nearer he got the more cautious he became. I could see the lip of the fifteen-foot drop into the hole, and when the bear got to within a few feet of this spot he drew himself along with belly to ground. Waiting until the tiger was eating with much gusto the bear very slowly projected his head over the lip of the hole and looked down, and then as slowly drew his head back. His opportunity came when the tiger was cracking a bone. The bear drew himself to the edge and, gathering his feet under him, launched himself into the hole with a mighty scream - to be answered by an even mightier roar from the tiger. The fight may have lasted three minutes, or it may have lasted longer. Anyway, the tiger broke off the engagement and came along the open ground in front of me at a fast gallop, closely followed by the still screaming bear. Blood from a number of deep cuts seeping through the thick fur on his neck and in several places his scalp was torn right down to the bone, his nose being torn in half.