Nagpur: As peak wildlife tourism season begins, reports of blatant violations by not only tourists but also guides and forest staff are flowing in, especially in parks where tigers are being sighted regularly.
On Sunday afternoon, Paoni range of Umred-Karhandla Wildlife Sanctuary once again witnessed chaotic scenes on Malai Kuti Road in the core area of the park, where forest labourers (van majoors) on bikes joined tourists to scout for tigers resting in the roadside bushes.
“The forest labourers, whose job is to check these violations, themselves were engaged in scouting around for tigers,” said Ankit Rattan, an eyewitness. “We saw a youth riding triple-seat with a kid on the bike enjoying tiger sighting. The four cubs were hardly 10 metres away from the road,” Rattan said.
“I saw another veteran forest staffer with a girl on the bike joining the tourists to sight tigers,” said another tourist Praveen Kalantri.
Rattan says when a couple of forest labourers at the nearby Malai protection hut learnt about this, they too walked over to have a glimpse of the tigers. “These forest labourers were on foot, and risking their lives,” he said.
With regular tiger sightings of the four sub-adult cubs of dominant tigress Rai and male Jaichand, tourists have been making a beeline to Paoni.
The park has been in the news for frequent violations by tourists. In December, some pictures of tourists standing on the tail boards of two Gypsys to have a closer look at tigers, and one of the cubs charging at a tourist vehicle, had gone viral on social media.
Paoni range forest officer (RFO) Dada Raut admits it was very insensible behaviour on part of the forest staff. “I will inquire into Sunday’s incident,” he said.
Raut said people on bikes were forest labourers who had gone to the irrigation canal after receiving information about some wild boars had fallen in it. “While returning, they took a wrong route and entered the core area. They should have returned via the tar road. The staff will be pulled up for the violations. Guides should also control tourists in such situations,” Raut said.
Recently, two forest labourers of Tadoba, returning to their protection camp on bikes, had a miraculous escape when they were sandwiched between two sub-adult male cubs of Jamni’s dominant tigress Chhoti Tara.
“The park managers should stop use of bikes by staff in the park, especially in areas where there are sub-adult tiger cubs. In case of any eventuality, tigers will be blamed unnecessarily,” said Amrut Naik, a regular visitor to parks.
MoEFCC guidelines on ecotourism clearly state that tourists should not approach animals closer than 15 metres or disturb them. “Entering a park on bikes and going near the tigers is like provoking them, which can prove to be dangerous,” said wildlife lover Sandeep Singh.
