In 2019, India was awarded the UNEP- Asia Environmental Enforcement Award for being home to almost 75% of the world’s tiger population. Indian Forest Officer Ramesh Pandey of the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve was commemorated for his relentless contribution to helping tigers to flourish. The forest officer often takes to social media to share the progress of the reserve forest. However, Ramesh Pandey and his team recently came across a troublesome situation when they spotted a tiger being swept away by the strong currents of the Gerua river.
As stated by Pandey, the young tiger was trying to cross the river when he was flown up to the Girijapuri barrage in Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh. The officer and his team could clearly see that the animal was in trouble. The event was also recorded and shared online on his verified Twitter account. The officer stated, “A young looking tiger tried to cross Gerua river along the heavy current but flown away upto Girijapuri barrage in Bahraich. Tiger looked in trouble.”
While the rescue team, began preparing for a rescue mission, they noticed that the strong current couldn’t stop the animal from being completely submerged in the river. The officer highlighted that tigers are also great swimmers. Using its own strength, the tiger managed to reach the forest of Katerniaghat, which is also a part of the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve. In a subsequent video, Pandey further showcased how the tiger made it safely back to the ground.
He added, “However, tiger being a powerful and great swimmer, could cross the river against the current, and reached in jungles of Katerniaghat, part of Dudhwa Tiger Reserve.”
Though it was confirmed that the Tiger has made it back into the jungle, a rescue team still followed his path to further monitor its safe passage. The officer asserted that it is of utmost crucial for them to patrol and protect the wildlife. Pandey concluded, “The team lead by Aakash Badhawan monitored the safe passage to tiger and other wildlife during high flood times in Katerniaghat. Monsoon in Terai is a tough time for protection and patrolling.”
As soon as the clip surfaced online, netizens in large numbers lauded the Indian forest services’ efforts of managing the entire situation. A user wrote, “Good team work…i see drone there..good application of technology..”, another added, “Relieved to see the tiger swim back to safety”. Many were also stunned to watch the strength of the tiger and stated, “What a powerful creature”. A third one also added a funny Bollywood twist to the entire situation and called it “Tiger zinda hai”. Take a look at the reactions below:
The video was shared on the micro-blogging site in the early hours of Friday, July 22.
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