BENGALURU: Increased instances of tiger sightings by tourists in safari areas of the two prime tiger reserves Bandipur and Nagarhole have come as a joy and also worry for the state forest department.
While tourists are delighted, Karnataka forest department officials have intensified their vigil to prevent poaching and ensure safety of the animals. For those sharing pictures and videos of the majestic predators, forest officials are urging them to desist from sharing their location, which can facilitate poaching and cases of man-animal conflict.
“We are not going to increase the carrying capacity. With heavy rain and the increase in presence of cubs, we are working on restricting the number of entries,” said a senior forest department official. “Instances of sightings of cubs in tourism and buffer zones have increased, because the population is also rising. But the magnitude will be known only after phase-4 of the camera trap data report. Data shows that the areas of tigers have also increased in tourism and buffer zones. So we are taking more steps to step up protection,” said Bandipur Tiger Reserve director Ramesh Kumar.
After a tigress was caught in a snare in the buffer of Nagarhole, forest officials want to ensure that such an incident does not recur. Harshakumar Chikkanaragund, director, Nagarhole Tiger Reserve said the combing operations for snares and jaw traps have intensified.