Amusing Scene Unfolds in Indian National Park: Tiger Mother "Scolds" Tiger Cubs Video Goes Viral
The Ranthambore National Park in Rajasthan, India, is a wildlife paradise and a great place to see tigers in India.
However, according to recent reports from foreign media on February 21st, 26 tigers have mysteriously disappeared from Ranthambore National Park, and poaching is suspected as the cause.
To this end, NTCA member Diya Kumari has written a letter to the federal environment minister, requesting a thorough and in-depth investigation.
▲ Ranthambore National Park tigers
In the letter to Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar, Kumari said that she had submitted a report to the government, and the government should take this disappearance of 26 tigers from the national park seriously.
Kumari also stated in the letter that the attitudes of officials and park management personnel were ‘rather indifferent,’ and that the park should protect these endangered animals rather than allowing their numbers to decrease.
Kumari also said that the identity of the poachers must be confirmed, they must be apprehended, and they must be subjected to severe action to prevent such events from happening again.
Kumari's reaction was so strong because India has long been a ‘tiger country,’ with the largest number of tigers in the world, and Ranthambore National Park is one of the most popular places to see them.
▲ National Geographic magazine's photos of tigers in Indian national parks
The Madhya Pradesh government had a bold plan as early as the 1970s to establish at least 11 protected areas within the state. Currently, the state has 24 protected areas and 11 national parks, covering an area of 11393 square kilometers. The newly added protected area covers an area of approximately 2143 square kilometers. This is the largest area ever attempted to be protected by a country in the past thirty years.
However, the establishment of new protected areas seemed less ‘popular’ starting from the 1970s.
The main challenge in establishing new protected areas was the fact that it would result in the loss of some local people's interests. For example, if a region is designated as a protected area or national park, the people who own land in that area will lose the right to sell their land.
The local government also believed that protected areas were an obstacle to development. For example, even when repairs were made on roads through protected areas, permission was required from the Federal and National Wildlife Committees, which often led to significant delays. This could lead to opposition from the local government.
However, inspired by the successful tiger conservation plan, in 2018, the state’s tiger census recorded 526 tigers, which is the highest number in India, which made the state earn the title of ‘Tiger State of Madhya Pradesh,’ and the state government decided to establish new protected areas.
▲ Existing tiger protection areas in India
Realizing the various problems encountered before, the Madhya Pradesh government has used information technology to identify areas without private land and new protected areas. Because the areas included have been designated as protected areas, the Madhya Pradesh government does not need to carry out the rights resolution procedures stipulated in the ‘1972 Wildlife Protection Act.’ This has allowed the government to avoid the controversial public consultation process – as much as possible to avoid public opposition.
The increase in tiger numbers is expected to open up more opportunities for tourism, and the most famous tourist attractions in India, besides places like the Taj Mahal, are some tiger conservation areas. Many tourists to India go to these protected areas to ‘catch a glimpse’ of tigers.
▲ A tiger mom ‘training’ her two tiger cubs (screenshot of video)
Just a few days ago, the tigers in Ranthambore National Park mentioned above became ‘internet celebrities’: a 30-second video of a tiger mother painfully forcing her two cubs to leave also went viral on social media. In order to let the cubs learn to hunt on their own, this tiger mother repeatedly ‘scolds’ the two tiger cubs, forcing the small tiger cubs to leave her.
It’s reminiscent of parents urging their children to be independent.
It has attracted many comments from netizens.
Some netizens asked: ‘Are tigers naturally solitary animals?’
Some netizens asked: ‘In 5 years, will these mother and child still recognize each other?’
To this, the blogger replied: ‘Yes, and they will hug and have more tiger cubs.’
(Ling Kai, review: Shen Zhuang)
