Alert Sambar at a water hole

[Mohan Raj]

Alert Sambar at a water hole senses some one is nearby. But we were on the nearby hill.

Place - Sathyamangalam Wildlife Sanctuary
Camera - Panasonic
Model - DMC-FZ28
ISO - 100
Exposure - 1/250 sec
Aperture - 5.6

[Mrudul Godbole]

Nice environment photograph. The alert pose shows it might have seen a predator on the other side? Did you get to see any tiger or leopard? Thanks for sharing.

[Saktipada Panigrahi]

Nice alert pose.The sambar is using its acute eye sight to identify some unusual movement or sound.
A photograph from a relalatively less explored wilderness thrills us.I have no knowledge about the progress made towards declaring Satyamangalam-Moyasegur as a Tiger Reserve since NTCA recommendation made to state around 09.08.2011. Thanks for sharing.SaktiWild

[Sabyasachi Patra]

A different perspective. It is alert and the tail is up. The Tamil Nadu Govt. had announced increasing the area of Satyamangalam Wildlife Sanctuary to 1.41 lakh hectares. However, I am not sure about the exact stage the Tiger reserve proposal is.

Cheers,
Sabyasachi

[Murugan Anantharaman]

Nice image. Normally as I have noticed and heard from guides, sambars call only after spotting the predator apart from the smell. I am sure there must have been something to alert it closeby and I dont think you were the cause for its alarm Mohan.

[Saktipada Panigrahi]

Murugan Bhai,
"Sambar do not wait for visusal confirmation when alarmed by scent, but when not unduly alarmed may seek it........The alarm call,an explosive 'dhank !' is sounded when the animals are sure of their ground and gateaway, a forefoot being also stamped repeatedly."-M.Krishnan

In this photograph,in my view,it is alert, not alarmed.

Kind regards,
SaktiWild

[Murugan Anantharaman]

Thanks Saktipadaji. I have noticed the stamping of its foot when alarmed. You are right ,its only alert. However, in a couple of occasions my guides told me after we heard a sambar call that they call only upon spotting the predator, am sure Mr.Krishnan has also studied them well and so are his statements.