BENGALURU: Bengalureans eager to stalk the striped beauty and other wildlife need no longer travel all the way to the tiger reserves of Bandipur, Nagarahole, Bhadra or BRT for a wildlife safari. Come February, they can enjoy it on the city outskirts in Bannerghatta National Park (BNP).
Accepting the long-pending proposal of Jungle Lodges and Resorts (JLR), Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Wildlife, Ajai Misra gave clearance for safari on a pilot basis till May 31, 2021. Trials are on and Karnataka forest officials and JLR aim to open it on trial basis from February.
BNP is home to leopards, sloth bears, elephants, Indian gaurs, spotted deer, other herbivores, and a lone male tiger. The two departments aim to use 15sqkm of the area for safari, and have chalked out a route covering Doddanankere, Sopenabetta Tower, Ragihalli, Ullesalu, safari zoo entry and deviate towards the JLR gate.Forest staffers have started clearing weeds along the safari route, identifying vehicles which can be used, and have capped the number of visitors at 40 a day.
“Time for trials has been given only till May 31, with conditions. We want to make it an eco-tourism space. Only one vehicle is permitted during morning and evening hours. Trekking is not allowed,” Misra told TNIE. BNP Deputy Conservator of Forests BNN Murthy said trials have started and if all goes well, the safari will be introduced next month, but will be cancelled if there is any untoward incident. Forest officials say it could help control the elephant menace.
“Elephants create a lot of problems,” said another forester. Conservationists and experts, however, are not convinced. They said the department is looking at commercialising untouched spaces, which will create havoc. They assert that BNP is already under a lot of pressure for encroachment, opening commercial activity will make matters worse.
“Parks like BNP warrant advanced conservation efforts to safeguard biodiversity. With Bengaluru in its vicinity, the park has experienced severe anthropogenic pressures in the past, leading to a fragmented, linear and irregular shape. In the absence of a well-defined core and buffer zone, monitoring and implementation of tourism could be a challenge. This landscape is notable for human-elephant conflict, therefore, assessing the likely impact of safaris should be considered, “ Avinash Krishnan, research officer, A Rocha India said.