Pic Of Corbett Tigers Playing With Plastic Sparks Concern

Another image that highlights the problem of plastic pollution and the toll it takes on wildlife has emerged online. The picture, clicked at the Corbett Tiger Reserve in Uttarakhand, shows three tigers playing with a piece of plastic. It was shared this morning on Twitter by Indian Forest Services officer Parveen Kaswan.

In the photograph, a tigress and her cubs are seen standing in the Ramganga River which flows through Jim Corbett National Park. One of big cats is seen holding a plastic drum in its mouth. According to Times of India, the photograph, which has left authorities and environmentalists worried, was clicked in the Dhikala range in the last week of January by some tourists.  

"That is how deep into #forests & #oceans this plastic menace is growing. Hundreds of wildlife is dying because of them. Picture by Trikansh Sharma," wrote Mr Kaswan while sharing the photo.

Nothing. Few #tigers playing with #plastic they just received as a gift from us & delivered by this river at #Corbett. That is how deep into #forests & #oceans this plastic menace is growing. Hundreds of wildlife is dying because of them. Picture by Trikansh Sharma. Do we care. pic.twitter.com/dHE58Yarjv

— Parveen Kaswan, IFS (@ParveenKaswan) February 7, 2020

The image is being widely shared on the microblogging platform, where many have used it to address the issue of plastic pollution.

So shameful :(

— Seema Chauhan (@simi1411) February 7, 2020

Plastic is becoming the single largest source of pollution in India. Almost 80% of the garbage is plastic. We should phase out all plastic and ensure efficient disposal till such time. I stopped using plastic carry bags a year ago and not buying anymore plastic containers.

— Indian Affair (@IndiaAffair) February 7, 2020

First we invade their territory and then also litter it with plastic waste which not only affects the environment adversly rather plays havoc with the health of wildlife. Hope we remember that video in which many plastic items were recovered from the tummy of a poor bird.

— Kalpana Prasad (@KalpanaPrasad03) February 7, 2020

Corbett director Rahul told Times of India that the picture was given to them by some tourists and an inquiry has been ordered into the incident.

"CTR is a plastic-free zone. Even tourists are not allowed to carry plastic products here. Therefore, we are also investigating how the container came into the river," he said. "One of the possibilities is that it could have been dumped into the river by residents of one of the many villages along the river."

According to the World Wildlife Fund, eight million tonnes of plastic are dumped in our oceans every year, adversely affecting marine and wildlife population. Last year, a heartbreaking photo that had gone viral showed a baby turtle that died with 104 pieces of plastic in its stomach.