A safari in Rajasthan’s Ranthambore National Park turned into an unforgettable wildlife encounter for a foreign tourist after a tiger decided to take a nap right in the middle of the road, leaving dozens of safari vehicles waiting nearby.
Taking to Instagram, a woman named Elena shared a video capturing the unusual sight. The clip shows the tiger resting calmly on the track as several safari jeeps remain gathered at a distance, with tourists waiting for the big cat to move.
(Also read: Viral video showing tiger surrounded by safari jeeps in Ranthambore sparks outrage: 'It’s worse than a zoo')
The close encounter became even more memorable when the tiger eventually woke up, stretched and casually disappeared into the forest.
‘Classic India. Traffic jam. But make it tiger’
Sharing the experience in the caption of the clip, Elena wrote: "Classic India. Traffic jam. But make it tiger. Our 3rd tiger we’ve seen in Ranthambore. This one decided to nap in the middle of the road. 30 jeeps, pure chaos - cameras, whispers, trying to get closer to a 200kg cat sleeping. Then woke up, stretched like my house cat, and walked into the forest like we were nothing. $50 safari. No guarantee you see one. We saw 3 in 4 safaris but this boy was so close, once in a lifetime moment. This is why you go. Would you wait?"
According to Elena, it was the third tiger she had spotted during her visit to Ranthambore. She said she managed to see three tigers across four safaris, despite wildlife sightings never being guaranteed.
{{/usCountry}}According to Elena, it was the third tiger she had spotted during her visit to Ranthambore. She said she managed to see three tigers across four safaris, despite wildlife sightings never being guaranteed.
{{/usCountry}}What made this particular encounter stand out was how close the tiger was to the safari vehicles. While a large number of jeeps had gathered around the area, the animal appeared completely unbothered by the attention and continued resting before eventually making its way back into the forest.
Watch the clip here:
Social media reacts
The post garnered several reactions from social media users, many of whom were amazed by the close encounter.
(Also read: Ranthambore tourists under fire for capturing video of tiger hunting deer from alarming distance)
One user wrote, "Imagine being this close to a tiger." Another said, "Ranthambore really gave you the full experience." A third person commented, "Thirty jeeps waiting for one sleepy tiger is wild." Another joked, "No rush, the king was taking his nap."
HT.com has reached out to the user for her comments, and the copy will be updated once her response is received.