Tadoba reserve posts videos for wildlife lovers amid lockdown

Chandrapur, Apr 24 () Even as national parks inIndia remain shut in wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, officialsof the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra'sChandrapur have found a way to keep wildlife enthusiasts andenvironmentalists interested by posting videos of everydayhappenings on YouTube.

The TATR hosts tourists from across the country andthe world during the summer. But with the COVID-19 lockdown inplace, the TATR administration has cancelled all safaribookings.

However, taking inspiration from South Africa'sKrugar National Park, TATR officials have started postingvideos for wildlife lovers and general public, to showcase thenatural beauty of the reserve.

Spread over 1,700 sq km, the TATR is home to RoyalBengal tigers, leopards, gaurs, chitals, sambhar deer, amongother animals and birds.

Chief conservator of forests of TATR N R Praveen saidofficials decided to use the lockdown period to showcase therich flora and fauna of the reserve.

"At least 10 to 12 forest personnel are working on theproject for the last few days. Officials have been postingupdates of the latest happenings at the sanctuary throughvideos on YouTube. Over 9,000 people have subscribed to TATR'sdaily updates on YouTube," he said.

The forest department will also telecast these dailyupdates from the TATR till the lockdown is in place so thatwildlife lovers and general public can enjoy the naturalbeauty online, he said.

"The project will continue after the lockdown, butvideos will be posted only once or thrice a week at the time,"the official added. CORARU ARU