A vlogger who had trespassed into a reserve forest in the Nilgiris forest division was made to apologise to the Forest Department and pay a fine of ₹25,000.
The vlogger, who had uploaded a video of him riding his motorcycle in forest areas and also using a drone to capture footage from a water body in the Nilgiris, was made to visit Udhagamandalam and meet the District Forest Officer (Nilgiris division) on Feb. 16 evening. Two locals who had accompanied the vlogger and had shown him how to access the forest areas were also apprehended and fined, officials said.
District Forest Officer S. Gowtham confirmed that a fine of ₹25,000 per person was levied on the vlogger and the two local residents. Forest Department officials said that the vlogger had already deleted the original video from the video-hosting website. Mr. Gowtham also added that he had shared an apology video online.
Speaking to reporters on Feb. 16, the vlogger also told media persons that he was unaware that he was breaking wildlife laws by entering into reserve forests and promised not to repeat the mistake in the future.
Local conservationists welcomed the action taken against the vlogger as well as the local residents, which they hoped would serve as a deterrent in the future and help protect forest areas and native wildlife from illegal trespassers.
