As quickly as the tiger saw the bear heading towards the water, he attacked, and the mother bear had to defend her baby. Akshay Kumar, the chief biologist at Bamboo Forest Safari Lodge, informed news outlets the violent battle went on for 15 minutes.

Both animals were injured by the encounter. The young cub escaped during the fight. The fight only ended when the bear backed the tiger into the water.

The sloth bear was fortunate. In the video clip (which was first shared on Facebook by the Bamboo Forest Safari Lodge) it’s clear she was exhausted by the encounter, but was likely saved by her thick hair, that made it difficult for the tiger to obtain a grip around her neck.