Karnataka Forest Department passes formal order to resume Safari in Bandipur and Nagarahole tiger reserves

Mysuru: Karnataka Forest department has passed an order after formal State Government approval to resume wildlife Safari in Bandipur and Nagarahole Tiger reserve on Saturday.

The decision was approved in principle by the State Government on Wednesday. The Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) and Chief Wildlife Warden Kumar Pushkar passed the order after the State Government's formal approval on Saturday.

Bandipur Tiger Reserve Conservator of Forest S Prabhakaran informed that they will resume safari from Sunday. Officials of NTR informed that they will resume safari in Forest department's vehicles from Monday, but safaris of Jungle Lodges and Resorts will resume from Sunday.

In Bandipur Tiger Reserve ecotourism range, the department has permitted 31 trips including 19 by the Forest department and 12 by Jungle Lodges and Resorts; for a period of 2.5 hour per trip; and for only five hours per day from 6.30am to 9am and 3.30pm and 6pm.

In Nagarahole Tiger Reserve, at Sunkadakatte ecotourism range, department has permitted 36 trips including 13 by forest department and 23 by JLR, for a period of three hour for per trip; and for six hours per day from 6.30am to 9.30pm and 3pm to 6pm.

In NTR, at Nagarahole (near Veeranahosahalli) ecotourism range, they have permitted 14 trips including six by forest department and eight by JLR for a period of two hours per trip; for four hours per day from 7am to 9am and 3pm to 5pm.

The Safaris are permitted with various conditions, including to mainly to use buses; use only 50 per cent of safari vehicles and rest for activities to mitigate human animal conflicts, prevent forest fire; use one third of revenue of safari to NTR and BTR forest conservation foundations for welfare of people on fringes of forests; attach GPS trackers and dash cams to safari vehicles within two months; follow all NTCA guidelines, wildlife and forest conservation laws

The safaris were banned on November 7, 2025 owing to demands by farmers' leaders, followed by four repeated incidents of human-animal conflicts between October 26 and November 7 on the fringes of BTR in Sargur taluk of Mysuru district, resulting in the death of three farmers and injury of one person. Farmers leaders claimed that safaris, the sound of vehicles and light restricted the private space of animals and disturbed their activities. So, animals tend to move to safer places and to the fringes of the forest, leading to human-animal conflict. But, there were no human animal conflicts around the safari zones.

Followed by a report of a technical committee to assess eco tourism carrying capacity, Minister for Forest, Ecology and Environment Eshwar B Khandre announced the decision on Wednesday to lift the ban, phase wise, by restricting timings and trips.