Planning to trek in forests? Read this before going out to venture in the wild. Express spoke to a forest official, who suggested some precautionary measures before trekking.
Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) Deepak Sharma said, “Trekking inside national parks or reserve forests is prohibited. It is not only risky, but also dangerous because of wild animals.”
He said permission from divisional forest officer concerned is a must, if trekkers want to enter core area of the forest. A forest guard or watcher, who is familiar with the topography, will take trekkers on specific routes. Not all the routes are open for trekking, as wild animals move around, he clarified.
Commenting on the Bannerghatta incident, the PCCF said since there are a number of villages in the surrounding areas, some enthusiasts enter forests without informing the local forest officer, which could prove to be dangerous.
“There are a number of wild animals around Bannerghatta Biological Park, including wild elephants. Only, forest staff know the topography of the area, including the entry and exit routes. For a common man, it is not possible to locate these points. There will be no connectivity inside the forests as cellphone will not have network coverage. It is advisable to contact the local forest officer before exploring the wild,” Sharma said.
Speaking about the Bannerghatta mishap, a local forest officer said, the youth’s body bore injuries indicating that he may have been attacked by wild elephants. The police are yet to receive the postmortem report. “This tragic incident would not have happened if they had taken permission,” he opined.
Similar Incident in Past
On February 5 this year, a group of students from Bangalore Medical College had entered Kabbinele Protected Forests in Sakleshpur taluk of Hassan district during a picnic. Then, one of the students accidentally drowned in Kempuhole River. The students were stuck in the forest for more than a day as they were clueless about how to exit the forest. Later, they contacted their friends over cellphone and were rescued.