Big cat fight! Dramatic footage captures a tiger and a leopard in a brutal battle to the death… just a few feet from shocked tourists

Lions might be the traditional kings of the jungle but this tigress proved she was No1 at a nature reserve in Jaipur, India, following a stand-off with a leopard.

The two animals were spotted approaching each other in the dense undergrowth in Zone No.1 at the Sariska tiger reserve in Rajasthan yesterday, before launching their attacks.

The fight quickly got lethal as the tigress, known as ST-3, grabbed the leopard by the neck.

A tigress has been spotted killing a leopard in a wildlife reserve in Rajasthan

The spotted animal was shaken like a rag doll as its opponent tried to break its neck.

The action was captured by shocked tourists who were heard exclaiming as the battle between the two big cats took place.

The video then cuts out before a second part of the clip shows the tigress run in front of the truck carrying the dead leopard in its mouth.

Paying no attention to the truck of tourists just metres away, it then heads off into the undergrowth to devour its feline cousin.

The wild cats fought a vicious battle in the jungle undergrowth as visitors to the site watched

After shaking the leopard to death, the tigress carried her prey off into the jungle

Last year it was reported by the Mail Today that the Sariska Tiger Sanctuary was facing unusually slow growth of the big cat population mainly due to large scale miscarriages suffered by its tigresses.

The tiger re-introduction programme, the first of its kind in the world, was taken up in the sanctuary in 2008 as there were no tigers in 2004 due to large scale poaching.

The problem was blamed on human interference in the tiger habitat.

According to the latest census, the park, which covers 494 square miles, has 13 tigers.

The animal held onto her prey by its neck as she dragged it across the road

Tourists were heard exclaiming as they watched the animal disappear