Maharashtra: Tigress chases tourist vehicle, video goes viral
What's the story
A video of a tigress chasing a tourist vehicle in the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve, Maharashtra, has gone viral on social media.
In the video clip, tourists were seen having goosebumps as they noticed the striped animal running after their SUV.
Range Forest Officer Raghvendra Moon said the incident took place on Sunday in a buffer zone of the tiger reserve, located in Chandrapur district.
Incident
What infuriated the tigress? Vehicle's proximity to her, says Moon
The 3.5-year-old tigress, named 'Chhoti Madhu', may have got infuriated due to the visitors' vehicle coming very near to her, Moon said.
Following the incident, the road in the forest was closed for visitors for a week.
Officials of the forest department later held meetings with tourist guides and drivers and asked them to maintain a minimum 50-meter distance from felines in the forest.
Earnings
Maharashtra's tiger reserves generated Rs. 11.76cr of revenue in 2017-18
Maharashtra has six tiger reserves, which cover an area of around 9,116 sq km.
Pench, Melghat, Sahyadri, and Tadoba-Andhari are some of the popular tiger reserves that attract a large number of wildlife enthusiasts every year.
There are nearly 165 tigers inhabiting the state's reserves, where eco-tourism generated a collective revenue of around Rs. 11.76 crore in 2017-18, another forest official said.