Spotting wild animals in their natural habitat can sure be exciting. However, a group of bikers caused alarm on social media after they refused to move away from the path of two tigers. They also filmed the tigers. Based on the video, which has now gone viral, authorities have taken action against them. Wild animals have been often sighted in close proximity to humans, especially where wildlife sanctuaries overlap with national and state highways. This incident happened on Padmapur-Moharli road in the buffet zone of Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve in Chandrapur district of Maharashtra on May 31. In the viral clip, while a few of the bikers moved away from the tigers, one man refused to budge. Instead of stepping far away from the tigers and giving them a safe passage, he and another biker with two pillions passengers stood dangerously close to the wildcats on their two-wheeler. Luckily, the tigers did not get agitated and slowly walked away into the woods. After the video went viral, the state's forest department identified four persons from the crowd and have called them for questioning. The video showed them getting too close to the tigers and obstructing their movement, which authorities said could have angered the tigers and provoked a possible attack. The authorities have served them with show-cause notice for violating wildlife norms. Watch the video here: In the viral video, bikers are seen obstructing the path and moving closer to the tigers pic.twitter.com/Pww5OekPtp — The Indian Express (@IndianExpress) June 3, 2021 As the video went viral, people on social media too slammed the bikers for not moving away from the animals, calling them irresponsible. Many, like the authorities, also highlighted that had the animals felt threatened and attacked, they would have been blamed for the humans' fault. Many also tagged government agencies on social media to identify the man, and give severe punishment. Netizens also warned others to be mindful and respect the wild animals in their natural habitat.
