Tadoba: NTCA condemns incident in Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve | News from Nagpur

Nagpur: The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), a statutory body under the MoEFCC that oversees all tiger reserves in the country, has reported the recent incident in Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR), where a tigress named Roma (T-114) was cornered on the Khatoda-Tadoba road by over 150 tourists, drivers and guides in 20 safari vehicles on May 17.
Speaking to TOI on Sunday, NTCA member secretary Gobind Sagar Bhardwaj said, “This is not Ecotourism But Ecoterrorism.”
Bhardwaj added, “We have taken the incident very seriously and the park administration has taken action against guides and vehicle drivers for obstructing the tigress.”
Bhardwaj further said, “On Sunday, nine drivers and guides were temporarily suspended and fined Rs 3,000 for not maintaining sufficient distance between the tiger and safari vehicles. Also, a guide of a TATR vehicle was suspended for a month and the driver was permanently dismissed,” said Anand Reddy, deputy director of TATR (core).
A section of the tourists, who wished to remain anonymous, said, “Surprisingly, the delayed action is only eight days later. Tadoba was aware of the incident as it has installed the ‘Bagheera App’ to monitor the safari vehicles. There were over 150 tourists there and it is surprising how the incident was kept under wraps.”
They added: “The VIP quota violation is solely responsible for the chaos. The capacity of the core area of ​​the park’s six gates is only 125 vehicles, but since it is the peak season for wildlife tourism, this capacity limit is often exceeded.”
Uday Patel, volunteer wildlife warden of Gadchiroli, said, “If the park has opened 14 entry points in the buffer zone, why is the capacity of the core area not being reduced? The Supreme Court ordered a gradual shift of tourism from the core areas to the buffer zones in 2012, but the orders are not being followed in any of the parks in the country.”
TATR’s deputy field director Kushagra Pathak did not answer TOI’s calls.
The incident came to light after videos/photos of the crowded vehicles surrounding the tigress went viral on social media.
“Such incidents raise concerns about the negative impact of unregulated tourism on wildlife and their habitat,” said wildlife photographer Sandeep Gujar.
NTCA officials said: “Our decision to take action against the perpetrators is a clear signal that such behavior will not be tolerated in the future.”
Former director Jaydeep Das said: “The incident underscores the need for stricter monitoring and enforcement of tourism policies.”
Nagpur: The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), a statutory body of MoEFCC that oversees all tiger reserves in the country, has strongly condemned the recent incident in Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR). In the incident, a tigress named Roma (T-114) was cornered on Khatoda-Tadoba road by over 150 tourists, drivers and guides in 20 safari vehicles on May 17.
Speaking to TOI on Sunday, NTCA member secretary Gobind Sagar Bhardwaj said, “This is not ecotourism, it is ecoterrorism.”
Bhardwaj added, “We have taken the incident very seriously and the park administration has taken action against guides and vehicle drivers for obstructing the tigress.”
Bhardwaj further said, “On Sunday, nine drivers and guides were temporarily suspended and fined Rs 3,000 for not maintaining sufficient distance between the tiger and safari vehicles. Also, a guide of a TATR vehicle was suspended for a month and the driver was permanently dismissed,” said Anand Reddy, deputy director of TATR (core).
A section of the tourists, who wished to remain anonymous, said, “Surprisingly, the delayed action is only eight days later. Tadoba was aware of the incident as it has installed the ‘Bagheera App’ to monitor the safari vehicles. There were over 150 tourists there and it is surprising how the incident was kept under wraps.”
They added: “The VIP quota violation is solely responsible for the chaos. The capacity of the core area of ​​the park’s six gates is only 125 vehicles, but since it is the peak season for wildlife tourism, this capacity limit is often exceeded.”
Uday Patel, volunteer wildlife warden of Gadchiroli, said, “If the park has opened 14 entry points in the buffer zone, why is the capacity of the core area not being reduced? The Supreme Court ordered a gradual shift of tourism from the core areas to the buffer zones in 2012, but the orders are not being followed in any of the parks in the country.”
TATR’s deputy field director Kushagra Pathak did not answer TOI’s calls.
The incident came to light after videos/photos of the crowded vehicles surrounding the tigress went viral on social media.
“Such incidents raise concerns about the negative impact of unregulated tourism on wildlife and their habitat,” said wildlife photographer Sandeep Gujar.
NTCA officials said: “Our decision to take action against the perpetrators is a clear signal that such behavior will not be tolerated in the future.”
Former director Jaydeep Das said: “The incident underscores the need for stricter monitoring and enforcement of tourism policies.”