Resort Dumps Trash In ESZ Of Bandipur Tiger Reserve, Gets Notice

Bengaluru : In a case of utter disregard for wildlife, a resort dumped its discarded mattress, stale food stuffed in plastic covers, plastic cups among others in Karemala village, just 500-meters outside the border of Gopalaswamy Betta range attached to Bandipur Tiger Reserve falling in Gundlupet taluk of Chamarajanagar, a couple of days. However, the act of the resort was caught on camera by a villager of Karemala making forest officials to act against the resort.

When the attention of the officers were drawn to it, the resort got a notice served on it. The trash dumping was on revenue land but falling under the eco-sensitive zone.

A wildlife activist observed “Such acts could escalate man-animal conflict since foods discarded by tourists whether vegetarian or non-vegetarian could make wild animals stray out of the Reserve and bring them closer to humans on periphery villages.”

It may be recalled that jungle safaris were halted in Bandipur and Nagarahole Tiger Reserves in Karnataka after straying tigers mauled 3 villagers in the periphery of Bandipur Tiger Reserve in Hediyala sub-division in 2025. However, jungle safaris resumed about a fortnight back after it was halted on November 7 last year.

Trashing dumping incident, a farmer Bomma came across the trash being dumped on the forest boundary by a resort with a tractor and he quickly captured the thrash dumping on his mobile phone before alerted the forest officials.

Forest officials discovered thrash close to the Reserve boundary upon spot inspection and GS Betta Range Forest Officer Mallesh told Deccan Chronicle on Sunday “I came across thrash but did not scan each and every particular thing thrown at the site” and the officer ruled out any liquor bottles thrown at the site.

“I have served a notice on the Country Club, a resort, over trash dumping in an eco-sensitive zone and based on the explanation, suitable action will be initiated such as imposition of penalty,” said the RFO.

To a query won’t dumping resort thrash containing stale foods veg/non-vegetarian attract wild animals such as wild boars and in turn predators to stray out of the forest leading to man-animal conflicts, Mallesh said “It is a first instance of thrash dumping in eco-sensitive zone of the Reserve in about a decade.”

A farmers leader Honnur Prakash, opposing operating resorts and jungle safaris in Bandipur and Nagarahole, demanded the erring resort be shut down and questioned the rationale of forest officers of Bandipur “When plastic bottles are confiscated from tourism why act soft against erring resort over dumping trash in ESZ of Bandipur?”