IFS officer Susanta Nanda regularly shares video of animals in the wild. Recently, he shared a video which once again highlights how noise pollution is invading our animal habitats, creating much disturbances for them. It also brings up the pertinent question: Should mobile phones be banned inside our national parks and reserves?

Mr Nanda himself brings this up while sharing the video of a tiger and an elephant. He wrote that tigers and elephants tolerate each other fairly well in the wild. But, at times, gentle giant shows who the boss is. He goes on to ask the pertinent question: “You can hear mobile calls in the background. Disgusting. Should mobiles be banned inside the protected areas?

Susanta Nanda on Twitter: “Tigers and elephants tolerate each other fairly well in the wild. But at times gentle giant shows who the boss is😊 You can hear mobile calls in the background. Disgusting. Should mobiles be banned in side the Protected areas ? https://t.co/7xWQAsfmbB” / Twitter

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In the video, an elephant is seen cooling off in a small natural pool of water in a clearing inside what seems to be a reserve or a park. The exact location is not immediately known, but going by the language being spoken, many Twitter users have commented that it could be somewhere in South India. While the jumbo is enjoying its cooling time, a tiger arrives and starts making rounds of the pool, maybe to drink water. However, the elephant doesn’t seem to take kindly to it, and with a loud trumpet, chases away the tiger which then disappears into the forest. This was the gentle giant’s way of putting the tiger in place and announcing who actually lords over the jungle.

An interesting, rare, and beautiful video, but for the constant noises made by humans striking a jarring note. So, we really need to ask ourselves: Should we carry mobile phones when visiting a national park or reserve? Do wild animals not have the right to leave peacefully in their habitats? Do we have to always intrude into their spaces and create disturbances? It’s time we understood the importance of maintaining pin drop silence inside a protected area. And, focus on listening to the sounds of the forest, instead.