A video of a tiger grabbing the rear bumper of a safari vehicle with its jaws at the Bannerghatta Biological Park (BBP), located on the outskirts of Bengaluru, created a buzz on social media on Friday.
The video, some claimed on social media, was a few days old. But a top BBP official said the incident happened "two months ago".
In the viral video, a tiger, said to be around 4 to 5 years, is seen approaching a safari vehicle with tourists on board. The tiger bites the rear bumper of the vehicle and drags it back by a few inches. By the end of the video, the bumper is broken due to the tiger’s bite.
Clarifying on the video, Vanashree Vipin Singh, Executive Director of the BBP, told DH that the video was about two months old.
“The incident took place about two months ago," Vanashree said. "The vehicle was static for a while due to battery issues and the driver could not start it again. As the vehicle was stranded, the tiger out of curiosity approached and played with the vehicle. Later, the vehicle was towed safely by our rescue team.”
Vanashree said these tigers, "rescued or bred under captive conditions", are familiar with vehicles and people and are "not as wild as the ones in their natural surroundings".
"Had it been aggressive, it would have jumped on the vehicle and attacked,” she added.
Officials clarified that safari vehicles adhere to the standards laid down by the Zoo Authority. In January 2017, a lion tried to jump onto a vehicle from the rear side, while a lioness jumped on the bonnet triggering panic at the park.