A video of a tiger picking up a discarded plastic bottle from a waterhole in Maharashtra’s Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve has put the spotlight on the issue of plastic pollution and improper waste disposal.
Filmed by wildlife photographer Deep Kathikar, the video shows a young tiger gingerly picking up the plastic bottle in its mouth and walking away with it. The photographer called it a “sweet gesture by the tiger,” but viewers were shocked to see the extent of plastic pollution even in national parks, where littering is strictly prohibited.
Photographer Deep Kathikar identified the tiger in the video as a cub of the tigress Bhanuskhindi. The tragic sight of the tiger picking up plastic waste sparked calls for greater scrutiny of what tourists bring into the tiger reserve and stricter penalties for defaulters.
“This brings me deep shame as a human,” wrote one commenter. “Animals are more civilised than humans. Even if you call them ‘wild’ they know how to keep their surroundings clean and orderly,” another said.
The official Instagram account of Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve reposted the video with a message to all tourists about not discarding waste irresponsibly. “Deep Lathikar and his team were waiting at the water body, then she walked across the whole dam wall, one plastic water bottle was moving around in water and it grabbed her attention, she picked up the bottle and kept the bottle in front of the gypsy, as if she wanted to tell keep your plastics with you only,” they captioned the video.
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