Five tourists fined ₹25K for drinking during safari in Tadoba

NAGPUR: In a stern message directed towards tourists who engaged in hooliganism and other illegal activities within the Tiger Reserve area of Tadoba in Chandrapur district, wildlife management on Thursday imposed a fine of ₹5,000 each on five individuals for consuming alcohol during a safari in Tadoba.

According to the wildlife wing of Tadoba, the tourists departed from Moharli Gate in the Tadoba Tiger Reserve, with one of them, while riding in a gypsy, displaying a keen interest in spotting a tiger. Regrettably, it was reported that all the tourists who were riding in a gypsy in which he was there consumed alcohol while touring the forest area.

Upon noticing this behaviour, the tour guide intervened, advising against consuming alcohol in the gypsy. Despite the guide’s admonition, all five tourists within the gypsy vehicle persisted, prompting the guide to return the gypsy to Moharli Gate and inform the relevant forest officials of the incident.

Upon investigation, the management of the Tadoba Tiger Project confirmed that all five tourists within the vehicle were under the influence of alcohol. Consequently, they were fined and barred from further visits to the reserve forests. The forest department collected ₹25,000 from them as fines.

Nandkishore Kale, the deputy director of the Tadoba Tiger Project, declined to disclose the names of the tourists, citing concerns for their privacy and human rights. “They were from Chandrapur. This is not the first instance where fines have been imposed on tourists for consuming alcohol. Similar actions have been taken previously in the reserve forest areas,” he stated. Kale emphasised that such measures serve as a deterrent to prevent other tourists from engaging in similar behaviour.

Tadoba, one of the oldest national parks in the country, spans over 1,727 square kilometres and boasts some of the finest forest tracks teeming with diverse biodiversity. Designated as a tiger project in 1996, it is home to over 130 tigers and various rare Indian animals, including leopards, wild dogs, hyenas, wild boar, sloth bears, and bison.