The Wildlife Wing of the Forest Department suspended four Gypsy drivers and four guides of Umred-Paoni-Karhandla Wildlife Sanctuary (UPKWS) for seven days and fined them for violating tourism norms by reportedly cornering a tigress and her five cubs on a forest road near Gothangaon Lake on Tuesday.
The drivers have been fined Rs 2,500 each, while the guides face a penalty of Rs 450 each for their reckless behavior. The action came after a viral video showed tourist vehicles blocking a forest road on both sides upon spotting the tigress and her cubs, with passengers scrambling to capture photos and videos. In the footage, drivers and guides can be heard shouting for better views of the rare tiger sighting, and one uniformed guide is even seen attempting to take a selfie with the tigress in the background while the driver reverses the vehicle.
The tigress seems visibly disturbed by the close proximity of the vehicles and the noisy tourists, pausing mid-stride to check on her cubs. Normally, the Gypsy jeeps used for safaris are required to travel in a single line, but this rule was clearly disregarded in this instance.
The vehicles, positioned two to three deep along the narrow path by Gothangaon Lake, corner the tigress and her cubs. According to responsible tourism practices, vehicles should not disrupt wildlife movement and must maintain a 50-meter distance from animals. Furthermore, stopping vehicles is strictly prohibited in areas with tiger cubs.

The park management has confirmed that the drivers and guides violated responsible tourism guidelines. Further action will be determined following an investigation. Sources suggest the drivers and guides intentionally crowded the area to corner the animals in order to earn tips from tourists. As word of the sighting spreads, more tourists flock to the location, which benefits drivers and guides who operate on a rotation, securing more business the next day.
VIdeo:
The mother tigress pauses mid stride to watch over her cubs as tourist vehicles corner the family near Gothangaon lake in UPKWS.
Dr. Prabhu Nath Shukla, the Deputy Director of Pench Tiger Reserve and in-charge of the sanctuary in Nagpur district, directed Range Forest Officer Aarti Uikey to take swift action against the violating drivers and guides.
When tourists spotted the tigress and her cubs, excitement ran high, with many scrambling to take photos and videos. The spot’s geography, with a single forest road running along the sloping bund of the lake, makes it easier for vehicles to corner wildlife. Responsible tourism requires vehicles to line up and maintain a safe distance from the animals, but in this case, all available space was taken by the tourist vehicles. Had the tigress felt threatened, she could have easily charged.