But this series of heartwarming pictures by photographer Souvik Kundu shows a tiger sparing the deer’s life and, instead of making it an easy snack, deciding to play with it and treat it like one of its own.
Photographer Souvik Kundu snapped pictures of a tiger playing with a fawn at the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve in India
Photographer Souvik said: ‘When she slowly emerged from cover we were astonished to find she was playing with a hapless spotted deer fawn.
Photographer Souvik Kundu, 35, from Mumbai witnessed the tigress nuzzling the spotted deer fawn like one of her cubs
The joyful cat was seen jumping next to the deer, patting it and even carrying it in her mouth like a cub
The expectation among the crowd was that the feline would swiftly kill the deer and devour it
Souvik, 35, from Mumbai entitled photographs of the event, The Benevolent Queen, due to the tiger’s gentle nature.
He added: ‘I’m still not sure why the tigress did not prey on the little deer when the chance presented and acted so unnaturally.
‘One probable explanation is the tigress was in search for a mate and her urge for motherhood temporarily overcame predatory instinct.
Play with me! The tigress instead just wants to play with the baby deer and kept patting it with its paws
Souvik said it was possible the tigress confused the fawn with her own offspring
‘As a result she had confused the fawn for her own offspring.’
The photographs form a series entitled, The Benevolent Queen, due to the tiger’s gentle nature
The tiger left the deer resting in the grass, as the new friends went on with their days