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Bengaluru: In some good news for wildlife enthusiasts, the Karnataka High Court on Wednesday refused to impose a ban on safaris in the Bandipur and Nagarahole Tiger Reserves.

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A division bench, headed by Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru, was hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Mysuru resident V. Ravikumar. The court declined to ban the safaris. Instead, it has directed the government to submit a detailed affidavit. This report must clearly map out the boundaries of the core, buffer, and tourism zones in the tiger reserves, and pinpoint the exact locations where safaris are currently being operated.

Wildlife Safari

During the hearing, the petitioner's lawyer argued that safaris in Bandipur and Nagarahole were previously banned. He claimed that they were restarted in key tiger habitats only due to pressure from people with political and commercial interests. The lawyer also warned that continuing these safari activities would lead to a major increase in human-wildlife conflict.

In response, the court observed that a 'critical tiger habitat' is not always the same as a 'core zone', and this classification needs to be properly checked. The bench pointed out that tiger reserves usually have three types of zones: core, buffer, and tourism. Safaris are generally allowed only in the buffer or designated tourism zones, not in the strictly protected core areas.

The court also mentioned the guidelines from the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA). According to these rules, safaris should be conducted on non-forest or degraded land within buffer zones, and must avoid critical habitats and tiger corridors. The court then reiterated its direction to the government to submit an affidavit with maps clarifying the boundaries of the core, buffer, and tourism zones, and the exact safari locations.

This issue came into the spotlight after a sharp rise in human-wildlife conflicts in Bandipur and Nagarahole last year, between October and November, where several people lost their lives. Following public criticism, the government had banned safaris for over three months. However, in February this year, the government allowed safaris to resume at 50% capacity, based on recommendations from a technical committee. The petitioner has challenged this move, asking for a permanent ban on all tiger safaris in these habitats.