BENGALURU: After nearly 100 days of closure, wildlife safari in Bandipur and Nagarahole Tiger Reserves will start operations with restrictions, Forest, Environment and Ecology Minister Eshwar B Khandre said. He gave in-principle approval on Wednesday, and the safari will open in another two days.
Safaris were closed from November 7 due to increasing man-animal conflict, to stop misuse of vehicles, prevent staffers being diverted from their duty and address more important issues.
Under the first trial phase, a maximum of 50 safari vehicles will be permitted per day. Only safari buses will be allowed, and timings are trimmed from the earlier eight hours a day. The number of trips each vehicle makes has also been reduced. Safari trips will start from 6.30am onwards, and will be permitted for five hours a day in Bandipur, six hours in Sunkadakatte and four hours in N’hole eco tourism zones.
All vehicles will be fitted with GPS and trackers to track movements. The government announced this decision based on the report submitted by the technical committee comprising of the Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, officials from the Wildlife Institute of India, Indian Institute of Forest Management and an independent expert.
Khandre said safaris are being opened in a phased manner during a month-long trial. The committee will examine the implications of opening safaris and submit its final report. This will be shared with the National Tiger Conservation Authority and based on their inputs, the final decision on the number of vehicles permitted will be taken.
The committee was formed soon after the closure of safaris, and on December 28, and visited Bandipur and Nagarahole to assess the ground situation. During the State Wildlife Board meeting on January 2, chaired by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, the committee recommended allowing restricted safari. It submitted its report to the government on January 5.
The decision of allowing restricted safaris was taken after undertaking a detailed carrying capacity assessment and reasons for the rise in conflict. The committee also assessed the Bandipur and Nagarahole Tiger Conservation plans from 2014-15 to 2023-24, while preparing the report, and included the number of people visiting the forests on a daily basis.
Khandre said that during October and November 2025, when conflicts were many, 28 tigers were captured and relocated, of which 13 were adults. It was decided that eco-development committees will be revived and strengthened at the gram and village levels.
Their inputs will also be taken while making the final decision. The government has also formed special camps of four people in conflict zones along the 100km boundary of Bandipur. One-third of the safari revenue will be utilised for outreach programmes in villages abutting forests to build confidence.