The recent death of a man trying to take a selfie with an elephant on rampage in Odisha, or the fact that half of the “selfie deaths” in the world was reported from India last year, does not seem to have had a sobering effect on tourists visiting national parks and wildlife sanctuaries.
This is evident in Bandipur where tourists and motorists heading towards the reception centre for a safari, or those driving through the forests along the National Highway 181 en route to Ooty, or NH 766 to Sultan Bathery stop midway in violation of the law to pose for a selfie with wild animals in the backdrop given the obsession for posting their images on social media.
“The issue has reached alarming proportions in Bandipur where signages warning people against stopping is ignored by the tourists even in the core tiger area or elephant-crossing zones,” Santosh, a wildlife activist, said.
The violations tend to commence soon after one passes through the Forest Department check-post at Melkamanahalli Gate and enter the ghat section. The area happens to be a prime elephant-crossing section and though elephant sightings may be rare, what prompts the motorists to stop the vehicles is the presence of spotted deer along the highway.
“The probability of a carnivore like a tiger or a leopard lurking near by and stalking its prey is conveniently ignored or the violators seem to be blissfully ignorant of it,” say wildlife activists.
Both the issues are more under control in Nagarahole as the tourists entry is stopped at the entry check-post as the safari point has been shifted to Veeranahosahalli Gate at the park boundary on the Hunsur side and Nananchi Gate on the Kutta side.
While this has reduced the movement of vehicles considerably, there is also a ban on the entry of two-wheelers cutting through Nagarahole that has helped reduce human pressure and vehicular disturbance.
“But banning two-wheelers through Bandipur is not a solution to curb selfie mania as those travelling in four-wheelers too are guilty of the same. Perhaps shifting the safari point to the entry gate may help to some extent,” Mr. Santosh said.
Mobile patrolling in place, but only awareness can help
Mobile patrolling is in place in Bandipur to curb mischievous elements from violating the law. Besides, the presence of department staff engaged in forestry works along the highway acts as a deterrent. But they don’t seem to be enough. There are two mobile patrolling units one of which operates from Moolehole Gate bordering Kerala and are deployed on a full-time basis. The other unit from Bandipur is deployed during peak traffic hour, according to Assistant Conservator of Forests Anthony Mariappa.
He told The Hindu that during holiday season, the mobile units monitor the highway on a continuous basis but are deployed in the fields as well during off season. However, a few elements tend to take advantage when the mobile unit passes them and stop for a selfie. “Many have been caught red-handed, fined, and cautioned. But youngsters coming in group are more prone to this behaviour than individuals and families,” he added.
Activists say the Forest Department alone can do very little despite monitoring round-the-clock unless there was a change in public behaviour owing to education and awareness of the dangers involved in flouting the law.
Disturbing behaviour
This penchant for selfies and the obsession for posting on the social media is adding to the list of troublesome behaviour of the tourists visiting national parks and wildlife sanctuaries. Feeding wildlife encountered — especially langurs, spotted deer, and wild boas — along the way is another behaviour that needs to be curbed as animals would lose human fear, reach out to them in expectation of being fed would thus expose themselves to the danger of being poached. Besides, junk food fried in oil, which is not part of their natural diet, is introduced to the animals that could pose a danger.
There is another behaviour that is fraught with risk and amounts to courting danger — of people stopping the vehicle midway in the forests to relieve themselves, a behaviour more common among those moving in groups. As a result, the authorities in Nagarahole have put up a board on the road warning people against urinating in the forests bang in the middle of a tiger reserve which may appear to be absurd but is based on their experience of dealing with such crowd behaviour.
