Bandipur, Nagarhole Ban Safaris After Tiger Kills Villager

BENGALURU: Growing man-tiger conflicts leading to 3 humans on the borders of Bandipur Tiger Reserve in Hediyala and Moleyur ranges has brought about a ban on safaris in Bandipur and Nagarhole tiger reserves with immediate effect on Friday on the order of Minister of Forest and Environment Eshwar Khandre.

A decision was taken by Minister after a tiger killed a villager identified as Chowdaiah Nayak a resident of Heggodilu village of Sargur taluk in Mysuru district which the third human death on the borders of the Tiger Reserve since October

The body of Chowdaiah Nayak was traced in elephant track and suspected to be mauled by a strayed tiger on the prowl in and around the villages might have killed him.

Forest personnel conducted searches for the tiger but not with success. Drone cameras also failed to locate the tiger straying in farms and fields.

Forest Minister wanted all personnel to be pressed into tiger capture operation in the ranges of Hediyala and Moleyur ranges. Earlier the Minister ordered for cut in evening safari trips in Bandipur and Nagarhole.

A senior official to Deccan Chronicle observed emphasis laid on eco tourism activities in protected areas is to blamed for rise in man-animal conflicts especially in Bandipur Tiger Reserve.

He noted over emphasis on eco-tourism activities such as safaris make tigers fear less of humans.

Bandipur Tiger Reserve officials see ban on safaris would not solve the problem of man-animal conflict.

Reserve officials blame villagers over ignoring warnings not to try and rescue cattle if they come come under attacks from tigers or leopards but cattle owners try to chase the big cats away and get killed either from tigers or leopards.

Wildlife activists observe aged tigers are driven away by young and dominant tigers and aged tigers target slow moving animals such as cattle on the borders of protected areas leading to conflicts escalation.

“We make best of efforts to trap a tiger in farms or to dart it but sometimes it does not work. If we chose to dart a strayed tiger we have to keep in mind the surroundings such as pits if any nearby,” said a forest official.

The official said “Tigers do not dare to attack humans. These are accidental attacks.”

Forest officials attribute man-animal conflicts to growing numbers of tigers in the wild and some move out of forests to settle in nearby farms/agricultural fields close to forest borders and sometimes humans unaware of tigers in farms come under attacks.

A villager of Hediyala stated “We get compensation for cattle kill but a cattle owner will have to roam from post to pillar to get compensation.”

He stated some farmers are yet to get compensation from two years.

Bandipur Tiger Reserve official said some villagers try to deceive forest officials over human deaths and stated if a villager gets killed by an wild animal insides forests they ferry the body to a nearby field and projected it as though it was an wild animal attack outside the forest.

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