Wildlife tourism is booming in India’s hidden habitats, but poor regulation is leaving fragile ecosystems exposed to harmful human intrusion
A couple of years ago, word got around that the Malabar gliding frog was being given unsolicited flying lessons. Desperate to get a picture of the amphibian in flight, tourists were apparently launching the red-webbed animal into the air, throwing up ethics and good conduct with it. The incident was reported from Amboli, a village perched 690m on the Sahyadri Range of the Western Ghats, in southern Maharashtra’s Sindhudurg district.
Once a little-known hill station frequented by a handful of naturalists, Amboli now attracts over 1,000 wildlife tourists each monsoon, its peak season — a development welcomed by the local community, though perhaps less so by the wildlife.
Once a little-known hill station frequented by a handful of naturalists, Amboli now attracts over 1,000 wildlife tourists each monsoon, its peak season — a development welcomed by the local community, though perhaps less so by the wildlife.