I was on safari looking for tigers when a sambar alarm call pierced the jungle air. There was just the one call, and then there was silence. Usually, when a predator is sighted (it could be a tiger, or a leopard, or even wild dogs), the resident deer (sambar, spotted deer, barking deer) give out a loud call that signals that a predator has been sighted. And these alarm calls ring out repeatedly until the danger has passed. So, it was unusual that there was only one alarm call. Surely, something was amiss. We sped in the direction of the call in our open jeep, and were just in time to see a tigress drag a sambar (India's largest deer species) calf into thick reeds. We had missed seeing a kill by seconds! As we sat watching, the tigress ripped open the hindquarters of the calf, and started to feed. The sound of those strong jaws breaking the bones of the deer are still fresh in my mind!
Location: Ranthambhore NP, Rajasthan, India
Date: April, 2008
Equip: Canon 1D Mlll, Canon 100-400 at 400
Specs: ISO 400, f 8, 1/160s, beanbag on vehicle
Thank you for taking the time out to look, and for your comments/critiques.






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