At first light, the gates open at the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve in Chandrapur district of Maharashtra. Rows of safari vehicles hit the dirt track, and the eyes start scanning the forest. The 1,700-sq. km reserve, home to 62 tigers, attracts an uncomfortably high number of tourists and photographers every day. Only 20% of the reserve forest area is open to safaris, but the chances of a tiger sighting are high. Hence the huge flow of vehicles for the morning and evening safaris.
The dominant male tiger here is Matkasur, well-built, kingly and a photographer’s delight. Once a tiger is spotted, scores of vehicles make a mad dash and crowd around the animal to get the best vantage point. Sometimes, 50 to 60 vehicles surround a tiger. These days, visitors are on the lookout for Maya as she recently gave birth. Tourists come in the hope of getting the first glimpse of her two cubs. In anticipation, vehicles menacingly block her path. The forest has two 15-month-old male cubs, which too are not used to human presence.
If there are guidelines on the number of tourists allowed inside wildlife parks and the distance they must keep from the animals, they are flouted here.
As a result, man-animal conflicts are growing in the tiger reserve. In May, Matkasur mauled to death a 45-year-old man working in the reserve.
A tourist vehicle has even overturned in front of a tiger, in the race to get the best view of the feline. If tourists have been lucky to escape tiger attacks so far, call it luck.