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A tiger’s ‘home’ turned into parking lot: Viral Ranthambore video sparks outrage over safari chaos
The clip captures a swarm of jeeps crowding a narrow stretch of the park. As more vehicles pile in, the situation begins to resemble a traffic jam rather than a safari.
Tourists in the video – a mix of foreigners and locals – can be seen snapping photos as the tiger stands still
A video filmed inside Ranthambore National Park is going viral for all the wrong reasons, and it’s not an easy watch. What should have been a routine wildlife sighting quickly turns into a chaotic scene, with a tiger boxed in by safari vehicles on nearly every side, leaving it with almost no room to roam around.
The clip, originally shared by Instagram user Monty Bhatt (monty_thetraveller), captures a swarm of jeeps crowding a narrow stretch of the park. As more vehicles pile in, the situation begins to resemble a traffic jam rather than a safari. At one point, things get so congested that people are seen trying to manually manage the flow of vehicles, with someone even signalling a car behind to stop.
Tourists in the video – a mix of foreigners and locals – can be seen snapping photos as the tiger stands still, seemingly unsure of where to go. For a brief moment, the animal pauses, looking around at the vehicles hemming it in, adding to the discomfort of the scene.
Bhatt uploaded the video along with the caption, “The tiger came very close and the jeeps didn’t give the space to the Tiger in Ranthambore National Park.”
Watch the video:
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The video has racked up over a million views, sparking criticism in the comments. One user wrote, “The Tiger looks more civilised n mature among all these humans around.” Another added sarcastically, “The Indian forest department deserves praise for its efficient management of safari operations in India. The tiger seems to be facing a traffic jam in its own home.”
A third commenter pointed out, “This is the situation in all popular national parks. As soon as tiger is spotted 50 gypsy’s will jump on it. It’s better to tell your guide to look for other things in the forest instead of wasting time in this chaos.” Meanwhile, someone else questioned, “Mobiles are banned in Ranthambhore. How come people are still using mobile phone.”
This isn’t an isolated incident either. A similar video from earlier this year showed multiple safari vehicles crowding a tiger’s path, with the animal appearing visibly tense and even vocalising, possibly reacting to the pressure of being surrounded. The recurring nature of such scenes has once again raised concerns about how wildlife tourism is being managed in some of India’s most popular national parks.
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