Wild bull defeats tiger in forest fight

BAHRAICH: It was a spectacular battle in the forest along Belchna-Babhaniya Road passing through Katraniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary on Friday morning. As a wild bull and a tiger fought ferociously near the road for more than an hour, traffic came to a standstill. People, including passers-by, police and forest department officials, watched the deadly duel with amazement and terror. The fight ended with the bull - both its horns broken – hurling the tiger in the air and forcing it to beat a hasty retreat.

Eye-witnesses said the two beasts came face to face in Kakhra range of the sanctuary early in the morning. Taking the adversary lightly, it was the tiger which started the fight but soon realised its folly. In the first round of the bout, that lasted around 15 minutes, the bull hurled the adult male tiger in the air using its horns. The tiger fled into the jungle. The bull was the clear winner.

By that time a large number of villagers, cops and forest officials had assembled on the road adjacent to the spot where the fight was taking place. As they were all about to disperse, the tiger returned with a vengeance and attacked the bull while it was grazing. This time, it was a fight to the finish and both the fighters were in no mood to relent. Both suffered injuries but it was the bull which prevailed ultimately. The big cat had to accept defeat and flee to save its life. The second round lasted for nearly 55 minutes. Although victorious, the bull was left with broken horns.

While the two animals were trying to finish each other, there was pin drop silence among spectators who watched the spectacle hiding behind bushes. The local police and forest team had also reached the spot and formed a security ring to prevent villagers from going closer to the spot.

Divisional forest officer Ashish Tewari said the wild bull was badly injured. “Such struggles are normal in the jungle,” he said.