Animal behaviour is instinctive and is in response to stimuli. All creatures are born with genetic imprinting that triggers their response to any given set of circumstances. A deer raises alarm at the slightest hint of the proximity of a predator. The deer doesn’t have to make a conscious effort to raise an alarm, in fact the deer has little control over this behaviour. It happens as a response to the stimulus i.e. the proximity of a predator.
A tiger walks out on the road in full view of everyone who is watching, least bothering about using cover to hide itself. The same tiger on another day sits tight in a dense bush for a long duration, watching dozens of jeeps go past, without being seen by any of them. What governs this diversity of behaviour is debatable and unknown.
On a recent safari to Corbett Tiger Reserve, Jim’s Jungle Retreat naturalist Jeewan Rautela came across this tigress that was not very comfortable crossing the open stretch of the forest road in view of the tourist jeeps and decided to run across it, giving out her characteristic growl of disapproval.
A tigress runs across the forest road
