Bengaluru, India, November 10: Karnataka’s Forest Minister Eshwar B. Khandre on Friday ordered the immediate closure of safari operations in the state’s Bandipur and Nagarahole tiger reserves following a series of fatal tiger attacks in the Mysuru region that have left three people dead in the past month.
In a directive to the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief Wildlife Warden, Khandre also suspended trekking in human–wildlife conflict zones and directed that all available forest personnel be deployed to capture the tiger responsible for the latest attack.
The move comes after Chowdaiah Naika, 35, was killed by a tiger near Hale Heggodilu village in the Moleyur range of Saragur taluk on Friday morning. The minister expressed deep sorrow over the death, calling the repeated incidents “deeply distressing.”
“All officers, safari staff and vehicle drivers must be reassigned to assist the capture operation,” Khandre said, adding that both safari operations would remain closed until further notice.
The minister said the Additional PCCF (Wildlife) and Project Tiger directors have been asked to camp on-site and personally oversee the efforts.
Khandre recalled that high-level meetings were held in Bandipur on October 27 and Chamarajanagar on November 2, attended by ministers K. Venkatesh and Dr. H.C. Mahadevappa, along with local legislators, to review the situation. Officials were instructed then to intensify search operations and be prepared to suspend tourist activities if attacks continued.
Despite those measures, the recurrence of fatalities has prompted a complete shutdown of tourism in the affected forest zones as authorities intensify efforts to locate and tranquilize the tiger.
