''Be Responsible'': Forest Officer Shares Video Of Tiger Inspecting Plastic Bag, Expresses Concern

From ocean depths to mountain peaks, humans have littered the planet with tiny shards of plastic. Plastic particles have infiltrated even the most remote and seemingly-pristine regions of the planet, even forests. As a result, wild animals often end up chewing discarded plastic which endangers their health. Now, a similar video has surfaced on Twitter showing a tiger sniffing and inspecting a plastic bag that is seemingly left behind by a tourist.

Indian Forest Service officer Susanta Nanda shared the video, and wrote, ''Spare the tiger reserves. Plastics are entering the food chain of the apex predators in the least expected areas covering less than 2.25% of our total geographic area. Be responsible.''

Watch the video here:

Spare the tiger reserves. Plastics are entering to the food chain of the apex predators in the least expected areas covering less than 2.25% of our total geographic area. Be responsible pic.twitter.com/MpSUcwr3x2

— Susanta Nanda (@susantananda3) June 10, 2023

Other internet users also called the situation ''alarming,'' while some offered solutions.

One user wrote, ''Thanks for this shot & posting. This is indeed very alarming. Once in a national park, I found an open disposable syringe on the ground. I deposited it after the safari at the warden's office with a complaint. Still have the pic somewhere. Can there be stricter control?''

Another commented, ''Only solution that comes to mind is strict vigilance & checking of tourists, passers-by where plastic is not allowed near such reserves. Else, leaving it to people is not going to work.''

A third said, ''Sir, Single-use plastic should be STRICTLY BANNED  It's the root cause of the problem everywhere.''

A fourth added, ''Plastic bags are very hazardous for wild animals. Tourists must maintain strict discipline in this regard.''

A while back, another IAS officer shared a video showing an elephant eating a plastic bag. While sharing the video, Supriya Sahu wrote, "When humans become slaves of throwaway plastic the price is paid by wild animals. It's a tragedy beyond measure".