Sambhar male in rut - Rubbing, scratching its antlers and forehead, in Panna

From the archive record

Assiduously rubbing its antler tines against a tree in Panna, this Sambhar is clearly marking its territory, and announcing its availability for breeding. In the misty and damp forest in Madhya Pradesh, this male Sambhar (Cervus unicolor) rubs its ear pinnae, forehead and scratches the trunks of the trees with its antlers. This activity performs as a marker and identifier with the active rubbing of the body glands on the ground and trees. This behaviour is mostly observed in the rutting season of the bucks where these deers are considered to be reckless and are prone to be hunted. This footage is part of the broadcast stock footage archive of Wilderness Films India Ltd., the largest HD and 4K collection from South Asia. The collection comprises of 150, 000+ hours of high quality broadcast