HUBBALLI: Rajya Sabha MP and former Union Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh found himself in troubled waters after posting a video of a tiger bathing in a tub, stating that it was from Coorg (Kodagu) in Karnataka. When news reached Kodagu, home to Rajiv Gandhi National Park (Nagarhole Tiger Reserve), the Karnataka forest department was quick to clarify that the video was not from Karnataka, or any other part of India.
Officials said the video appears to be shot outside India, as indicated by the body of the subadult tiger and background vegetation.
“The video is most likely from one of the large cat farms in the US. The tiger’s sleek body, log shed, background foliage and rubber bathtub proves the video is from one of those farms. The vegetation and wooden cabin is also proof that it is not Kodagu,” an official said.
The forest department directed officials in Nagarahole Tiger Reserve to check if the video was from any private farm around, as there are cases of tigers roaming outside Nagarahole in Kodagu district.
However, there was no clarification by Jairam Ramesh for his tweet. In fact, the tweet was shared by Mahindra Group chairman Anand Mahindra, who has a long-time connection with Kodagu, having spent some childhood years here. Mahindra Group also has a large estate near Nagarahole, which set off rumours locally that the tiger video was from the Mahindra estate.
However, speculation was laid to rest after forest officials clarified that the video was not from India.
Wildlife conservationist from Kodagu P M Muthanna suggests that often, tiger videos are shared on social media platforms stating different locations.
“This must be controlled or it will create panic among people. Photographers and videographers must watermark and add locations on the video to avoid confusion,” he said.