Sloth bear vs tiger: Big cat fought off by insect-eating mammal protecting its cub in extraordinary video

Violent clash happens as bear and her offspring try to get a drink from a water hole in Indian national park

A sloth bear protecting her cub from a territorial tiger has been captured in an extraordinary video.

The female sloth bear was quick to defend her young cub when the male tiger charged at the pair as they were searching for water in Tadoba National Park in Maharashtra state in India.

The footage shows the mother sloth bear, who are not known for being territorial, bravely fighting back against the wild cat as her distressed young cub helplessly watches on from the side-lines.

There is a scarcity of water in the national park in western India - and it can be particularly difficult for animals to get a drink in the high temperatures as many tigers dominate the water holes.

Akshay Kumar, chief naturalist of Bamboo Forest Safari Lodge at Tadoba National Park, who caught the clash on camera, believes she only fought the wild cat because of her maternal instincts.

He told the NDTV: "The tiger was cooling itself off in the water when it saw the sloth bear heading to the water body with her cub in search of water.

“It went after the sloth bear, but she kept charging to protect her cub.

"The fight carried on for 15 minutes. The tiger was roaring, it was a severe fight."

The video shows the pair bury their teeth into each other’s flesh during the brutal clash near the body of water.

The mother bear goes still when the adult tiger pins her to the ground and sinks his fangs into her neck.

But despite suffering serious injuries, the bear manages to struggle free and begins to chase the male tiger away.