Tigress by the Tale: Close encounters in safaris are common, so why the uproar over Raveena Tandon's Satpura moment?

What happens in India’s tiger reserves, doesn’t stay in India’s tiger reserves, especially if a celebrity is visiting. Case in point: Bollywood actor and wildlife lover Raveena Tandon’s recent visit to Satpura Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh that is making headlines, with a great deal of hand-wringing over rules being flouted.

So what happened in Satpura?

Tandon was on a jeep safari in the Satpura forest , when a tigress was spotted. In a video, which has gone viral on social media, you can hear camera clicks. As the animal approaches, the actor can be heard asking that the vehicle be backed.

In the video, posted on Instagram by Tandon, the striped cat growls at the vehicle and then continues into the forest.

Probe Launched After Video Shows Raveena Tandon's Vehicle Near Tigerhttps://t.co/buZEpJnyEv

(Video instagrammed by Raveena Tandon) pic.twitter.com/2kyktGlsww

— NDTV (@ndtv) November 29, 2022

What are authorities saying?

Authorities at the Satpura Tiger Reserve have started a probe as they claimed the vehicle was too close to the tigress. Sub Divisional Officer (SDO) of Forest Dheeraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday said following the directives of senior officials, he has started a probe into the alleged incident.

The vehicle driver and the officials on duty there will be served a notice and questioned, the official said. The probe report will be submitted to senior officials for further action, he said.

What is Tandon saying?

Tandon on Wednesday said she was travelling in a jeep licenced by the forest department which didn’t deviate from the designated “tourism path”.

The actor, who visited the reserve on 22 November, in a tweet said she was accompanied on the safari by trained guides and drivers provided by the department. “A tiger gets close to the deputy rangers bike. One can never predict when and how tigers will react. It’s the Forest Department licensed vehicle,with their guides and drivers who are trained to know their boundaries and legalities,” she tweeted.

#satpuratigerreserve .@News18MP reports.A tiger gets close to the deputy rangers bike. One can never predict when and how tigers will react. It’s the Forest Department licensed vehicle,with their guides and drivers who are trained to know their boundaries and legalities. pic.twitter.com/mTuGLSVPER

— Raveena Tandon (@TandonRaveena) November 29, 2022

In another tweet, she added, “Tigers are kings of where they roam. We are silent spectators. Any sudden movements can startle them as well.”

“Luckily for us , that we did not take any sudden action, but sat quiet and watched the tigress, move on. We we’re on the tourism path, which mostly these tigers cross. And Katy the tigress in this video as well, is habituated to coming close to vehicles and snarling,” she wrote.

#satpuratigerreserve .. Tigers are kings of where they roam. We are silent spectators. Any sudden movements can startle them aswell. pic.twitter.com/5f6WrN8xRn

— Raveena Tandon (@TandonRaveena) November 30, 2022

Tandon is an avid wildlife lover and has often called out misbehaviour and flouting of rules in tiger reserves.

Earlier this month, authorities at the Van Vihar National Park, located in Bhopal, started an investigation after Tandon shared a video and claimed some miscreants were throwing stones at a tiger enclosure in the park. “Tourists ( ruffians ) pelting stones at the tiger in closures. Having a good laugh when told not to do so. Screaming laughing, shaking the cage- throwing rocks. No security for the tiger. humiliation they are subjected to,” she tweeted.

Van Vihar,Bhopal. Madhya Pradesh.Tourists ( ruffians ) pelting stones at the tiger in closures.Having a good laugh when told not to do so.Screaming laughing,shaking the cage- throwing https://t.co/XiI7SCu50Y security for the tiger.humiliation they are subjected to .@van_vihar pic.twitter.com/b3ouu4vhlA

— Raveena Tandon (@TandonRaveena) November 21, 2022

Park authorities had said they were investigating the incident. Such acts are punishable under the Wildlife Protection Act, they had said. In a tweet, the park management clarified, “Van Vihar National Park follows Zero Tolerance policy against any kind of action which can lead to physical harm to animals.”

Van Vihar National Park follows Zero Tolerance policy against any kind of action which can lead to physical harm to animals. We urge the public to refrain from indulging any such Activities which are punishable under Wildlife Protection Act.#zerotolerance #notolerance https://t.co/dvFLtwvo6J

— Van Vihar National Park (@van_vihar) November 21, 2022

Indian Forest Service officer Praveen Kaswan came out in defence of the actor. Commenting on the Satpura video, he wrote on Twitter that the permitted vehicle was on an approved road, and the visitors did not disturb the tiger or make any noise. “… growling towards the vehicle or tourist by tigers is a normal thing. Happens many a times during safari,” he said.

My observation on video;

- permitted Vehicle on approved road
- visitors didn’t disturb tiger, not making any noise also
- tiger was roaming on their own and chose to do so
- growling towards the vehicle or tourist by tigers is a normal thing. Happens many a times during safari https://t.co/TV35e3jz5E

— Parveen Kaswan, IFS (@ParveenKaswan) November 30, 2022

How does India treat its wild animals?

Be it in zoos or national parks, harassment of wild animals has become all too common. In tiger reserves, tourists often pressure drivers to flout rules.

In yet another video posted recently, tourists stop a safari jeep to get closer to the tiger. However, the big cat was not pleased and growled and charged toward the vehicle. At this point, the jeep driver hurriedly moved the car forward. The tiger did not hurt anyone, turned around and retreated to the jungle.

Sometimes, our ‘too much’ eagerness for ‘Tiger sighting’ is nothing but intrusion in their Life…🐅#Wilderness #Wildlife #nature #RespectWildlife #KnowWildlife #ResponsibleTourism
Video: WA@susantananda3 @ntca_india pic.twitter.com/B8Gjv8UmgF

— Surender Mehra IFS (@surenmehra) November 27, 2022

Indian Forest Officer Surrender Mehta, who shared the video, tweeted, “Sometimes, our ‘too much’ eagerness for ‘Tiger sighting’ is nothing but intrusion in their Life.”

While it remains unclear in which national park in India the video was shot, the internet is flooded with similar clips of close encounters with tigers.

Idiotitis...
When human brain shuts down & mouth keeps talking.

Appreciate the anger management of the tiger. But that can’t be guaranteed in future. pic.twitter.com/dSG3z37fa8

— Susanta Nanda (@susantananda3) January 21, 2021

In 2020, a vehicle driver and guide were suspended in Maharashtra’s Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) for blocking the path of a dominant male tiger. A year before that, a tourist and his guide were jointly fined Rs 51,000 for allegedly pelting stones at a sleeping tiger in Rajasthan’s Ranthambore Tiger Reserve (RTR) because they wanted to get a “perfect action shot”, according to a report in The Times of India.

Also read: Maya, Machli, Munna, naam toh suna hoga?: How India’s legendary tigers got their names

What do the rules say?

After the Tadoba incident, the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) directed chief wildlife wardens of all the states to follow protocol and maintain a 500-metre distance between two vehicles during a safari to allow for the passage of wild animals.

According to NTCA guidelines, each reserve is expected to set a ceiling level on the number of visitors allowed to enter the park to prevent overcrowding. A list of dos and don’ts for visitors is a must. Safari vehicles are permitted only in the tourism zones of the forest and on designated tracks. Tourism is restricted to 20 per cent of the core areas of the reserves and a maximum of 40 cars per day are permitted.

NTCA member-secretary Anup Kumar Nayak told The Times of India that it has been observed that tourist vehicles inside reserves do not maintain the 500-metre distance resulting in overcrowding around animals.

How do tourists impact tigers?

According to a report in Mongabay, a study examining stress hormones in tiger scat collected from two popular central Indian tiger reserves – Bandhavgarh and Kanha – revealed that the carnivores suffer from high levels of physiological stress due to wildlife tourism and a large number of vehicles entering the parks.

“Chronically elevated glucocorticoid levels can negatively impact growth, reproductive success, immunity, and cause muscular atrophy,” senior author Govindhaswamy Umapathy, who is a principal scientist and project leader at the Laboratory for the Conservation of Endangered Species (LaCONES) at CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad, told the publication. “If it continues it will have a definite impact on the population in the long-term.”

The tiger needs to be saved, sometimes from irresponsible tourists and sometimes from overzealous drivers and guides. In Satpura, it looks like neither was at fault.

With inputs from agencies

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