'Marmots Are Disappearing': Viral Ladakh Video Blames Tourists For Feeding Them Junk Food

A video of a man confronting tourists for feeding marmots in Ladakh has gone viral on social media, drawing attention to the impact of irresponsible tourism on the region's wildlife. In the clip, he urges visitors not to feed the wild animals, warning that snacks like chips and biscuits are disrupting their natural diet and threatening their survival.The video was shared on Instagram by a user identified as @its_naturemot. It begins with the man confronting a group of tourists, saying, "Aap padhke nahi aate ho jaga ke baare mein, aapko idea nahi hai, aap log reels banane ke chakkar mein aa jaate ho." ("You don't even bother to learn about the place before coming here. You have no idea about it, you just come here to make reels.")He then goes

on to explain, "Please agar Ladakh aa rahe ho, aur aapko agar Pangong ke raste mein marmots dikhein, toh inko khaane ke liye kuch bhi mat dena. Jitne bhi log Ladakh gaye hain, unko pata hoga ki Ladakh jaane ke raste mein kitne marmots dikhte hain. Main khud 2017 mein gaya tha, aur tab dikhte the toh kaafi sambhal kar chalana padta tha." ("Please, if you're visiting Ladakh and happen to see marmots on the way to Pangong, don't feed them anything. Anyone who has been to Ladakh will know how many marmots one used to spot along the route. I visited in 2017 myself, and there were so many of them that you had to drive carefully.")He further says, "Lekin 2026 mein Ladakh jaate waqt maine bahut kam marmots dekhe. Iska reason tourists hain jo wahan ke habitat ko barbaad kar dete hain." ("But when I visited Ladakh in 2026, I saw very few marmots. The reason is tourists, who are destroying their habitat.") "Marmots waise ghaas-phoos khaate hain aur winters ke waqt hibernation mein chale jaate hain. Lekin tourists agar reels aur photos ke liye unko chips ya biscuits khilaate hain, toh unka diet barbaad hota hai, aur yeh mar rahe hain, aur yeh khatam ho rahe hain," he adds in the viral video. ("Marmots normally feed on grass and other vegetation and go into hibernation during the winter. But when tourists feed them chips and biscuits for reels and photos, it disrupts their natural diet. They're dying, and their population is disappearing.")He then appeals to viewers, saying, "Yeh kuch tourists mujhe dikhe the, toh mujhe laga ki meri responsibility hai inko jaake rokna, lekin hum kitne tourists ko rokenge? Agar aapse responsible tourism nahi ho raha hai, toh please apne aap ko chaar deewari ke andar band kar lo." ("I saw these tourists doing it, so I felt it was my responsibility to stop them. But how many tourists can we keep stopping? If you can't practise responsible tourism, then please stay within the four walls of your home.")He also says, "Aur jabki Ladakh Tourism ki taraf se bade-bade boards lage hue hain ki 'Do Not Feed Wild Animals', lekin tab bhi log karte hain. Yeh jo harkat hai na, yehi uss jagah ko barbaad kar degi." ("Even though Ladakh Tourism has put up large signboards saying 'Do Not Feed Wild Animals,' people still do it. This kind of behaviour will ultimately destroy the place.")He concludes the video by saying, "Toh jo bhi Ladakh ja rahe hain, please iss cheez ka dhyaan rakho." ("So, if you're visiting Ladakh, please keep this in mind.")

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A post shared by Soumya Chatterjee (@its_naturemoto)

The video has gone viral, amassing over 2 lakh likes, more than 1,000 comments, and over 2 million views. Many internet users applauded him for raising awareness about responsible tourism and wildlife conservation.