Bikers show nerves of steel when they get stuck between two tigers
Two men on a Hero MotoCorp Splendor riding through Chandrapur, in Maharashtra’s Tadoba wildlife reserve found themselves stuck between two tigers, one of the tigers seemingly hostile. Safari-goers in a Maruti Gypsy and in another unidentified four wheeler, who were watching the entire incident and recording it on camera finally intervened when one of the tigers (which looked hostile) came too close to the bikers. Here, watch the bikers display nerves on steel in a tiger encounter – a situation that could have easily escalated.
The video shows the bikers having stopped in the middle of a Kuccha road, which appears to be one of the many roads that pass through the Tadoba Andhari wildlife reserve near Nagpur, Maharashtra. Tadoba, and the adjoining Pench wildlife reserve, is prime tiger territory with safari-goers often spotting multiple tigers in the wild.
Confronted by a tiger at front and one more at the rear, the bikers stop in the middle of the kuccharoad. Safari-goers in a Gypsy record the whole incident on camera, with the forest ranger and Gypsy driver constantly shouting instructions to the bikers – asking them not to move.
After nearly 3 minutes, the tiger at front, which appears curious/hostile tries comes too close to the bikers. The driver of the Gypsy guns the engine and drives to a point in between the tigers and the biker, and gives them a window of opportunity to ride away from the confrontation. The presence of mind of the Forest Department driver seems to have saved the day for the bikers, a day they’re unlikely to forget for a long time.
This confrontation is scary to say the least, and underlines the various dangers of riding through tiger territory on a jungle road, primarily meant to be used by Forest Department personnel. It’s unclear as to how the bikers – who could be locals living in one of the many villages abutting the wildlife reserve – got onto to the forest road.
For now, there’s no information of any trespass violation by the bikers. However, many such roads inside wildlife reserves – known as core and buffer areas – are cordoned off to private vehicles. Only Forest Department are authorised to ply on such roads, for maintenance and safari trips.
