The Maharashtra Forest Department has suspended four Gypsy drivers and four guides of Nagpur's Umred Pawani Karhandla Sanctuary for a week and imposed a fine on them. The action was taken after a video of them went viral on social media purportedly showing them cornering a tigress and her five cubs from front and back.
The gypsy drivers have been fined Rs 2,500 and the guides have been fined Rs 450 individually. After the video went viral, the forest department faced backlash as the purported actions were against the tourism norms.
In the viral video, a tigress could be seen coming out of the bushes. But gypsy drivers saw her and cubs and surrounded her from both sides. The tigress starts moving with cubs but the drivers continue to follow them. While following, the gypsy drivers reach very close to the tigress. The action was apparently against the guidelines and drew flakes on social media.
According to the information received the incident was recorded on Tuesday. These gypsy drivers and guides surrounded the tigress and her five cubs near the Gothangaon Lake. The guidelines mandate the vehicle to be at a distance of 30 meters from the tiger. Additionally, it is illegal to park vehicles from both sides in front and behind the tiger.
(Reported by: Yogesh Kumar)
