NAGPUR : The virus infection of a tiger in a US zoo has cast a pall over India’s wildlife economy, as the shuttering of parks and reserves deprives livelihoods in tourism and hurt villagers who live off forest produce.
Following the news, the Union environment ministry issued an advisory to all state forest departments to contain any possible outbreak in tiger reserves, national parks and other protected areas.
The move will keep wildlife destinations shut for an extended period. Wildlife tourism in and around protected areas, which have been closed as part of the lockdown, is likely to be hit hard for a long time, snatching the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of people and driving them to poverty.