Tourists enjoying a Safari trip at Bandipur Tiger Reserve.
Credit: DH Photo
Karnataka Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre’s decision to temporarily suspend safaris in the Bandipur and Nagarahole Tiger Reserves is a sensible and measured move. This order aims to redeploy forest personnel and resources for tiger-tracking and capture operations following a series of fatal attacks on humans. The directive sends a clear message that wildlife management and public safety must take precedence over tourism revenue, however lucrative it may be for the state. Man-animal conflict in Karnataka has been intensifying, and not merely because of human intrusion. Paradoxically, the rise is also the result of conservation success, leading to an increase in populations of tigers and elephants across protected areas. As Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) Kumar Pushkar has observed, there is no single cause for the recent conflicts: an increase in tiger numbers, coupled with expanding human settlements and agricultural activity extending right up to forest boundaries, has created inevitable friction.
The problem is most acute in certain pockets, particularly along the fringes of Bandipur, Nagarahole, and parts of Chikkamagaluru and Hassan. These areas sit at the intersection of ecological and human pressures. Fragmented corridors, degraded forests, and invasive weeds like lantana have stripped habitats of fodder and water, pushing elephants and tigers towards farms and villages. The pattern is clear: wherever forest quality declines and human activity expands, the potential for conflict increases sharply. While encroachment is often cited as the main cause, the challenge is far more complex. Forest degradation – the gradual erosion of ecosystem quality – has weakened nature’s ability to sustain its own populations. The absence of viable buffer zones and the proliferation of unregulated tourism have only compounded the problem. The unchecked growth of resorts, homestays, and vehicular traffic near reserve boundaries disturb wildlife and drive animals out of their natural habitats.
Although suspending safaris is a welcome stopgap, it must be a part of the larger response. The government should constitute an expert committee to draw up a holistic strategy that goes beyond firefighting – one that restores degraded forests, revives water sources, and reclaims wildlife corridors. Parallel efforts must focus on technology-based early warning systems, rapid response teams, and community engagement. Karnataka’s achievement in reviving its tiger and elephant populations is a conservation triumph. However, unless the state addresses the deeper ecological imbalances that force these animals into conflict, that very success could turn into tragedy. The safari suspension should, therefore, be seen not as an end, but as an opportunity to rethink how humans and wildlife can coexist – safely, sustainably, and with mutual respect.