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REAL-LIFE OF PI: Incredible viral video footage shows tiger jumping from boat

The clip, shared by an Indian Forest Service officer, shows the jaw dropping moment when the tiger was released back into the wild

Videos of tigers and tigresses chasing, hunting, or being affectionate towards their younger ones are commonly seen on the web. However, a unique clip shared on Twitter by Indian Forest Service officer Parveen Kaswan shows a jaw dropping moment when a tiger is released back into the wild by forest officers.

The video was shot in the Sundarbans in India. It is not a new video, but people are awestruck as it's the first time the clip has surfaced. The moment has been compared to a scene from Ang Lee classic 'Life of Pi', in which the lead character is stuck on a boat with a tiger after a shipwreck.

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In the clip, the tiger is seen jumping off the boat after it was released into the wild. The magnificent stride of the jump has left netizens speechless. The clip is captioned, "That tiger sized jump though. Old video of rescue & release of tiger from Sundarbans."

Sundarbans is a mangrove area that spans across Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal. The delta region is home to over 400 tigers. A unique skill these Royal Bengal tigers have developed is swimming gracefully in the saline waters. Moreover, their man-eating tendencies have become a part of folklore myth. They are often seen sunbathing along the coast between November and February.

The current video shows the tiger making a grand jump as it hits the waters. The animal then swims its way to the shore where it finally escapes into the woods. Currently, the video has over 97K views with 500 reshares and to no one's surprise, the numbers are on the rise. Viewers are amazed at the beauty of the clip and some of them were even reminded of the beautiful scene from 'Life of Pi', where the tiger named Richard Parker jumps off the boat and doesn't turn back.

Speaking of the resemblance, one user said, "It seems Life of Pi last tiger scene was inspired from this video..tiger didn't look back..he entered into his World." A surprised viewer asked, "Tigers can swim!?"

Another explained, "They are strong swimmers, helped by their large webbed paws and muscular bodies. Tigers have been recorded swimming up to 29km across rivers."

One user questioned, "Given that tigers are natural swimmers but still why was it left so far of from the shore? Wouldn’t it have been better to leave it closer to the shore?"