Enjoy Bandipur sights astride an elephant

Nischith N | NT

Visitors to Bandipur National Park will soon be able to view its flora and fauna from a vantage point. The government is planning to introduce an elephant safari at this popular tiger reserve. Currently it only has a jeep safari.

According to the forest department reports, Rampura Elephant Camp, the only camp in Bandipur, has 23 elephants at present. According to a High Court order, an elephant camp should house only 15 elephants.

Hence, Rampura Elephant Camp is now facing a problem of plenty and it is becoming a challenge for mahouts to maintain them, due to staff shortage and lack of infrastructure.

So the forest department is planning to shift seven to eight jumbos to Bandipur tiger reserve for elephant safari purposes.

“We already have a jeep safari in Bandipur and people love it. But they are more attracted to the elephant safari in nearby Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR), Tamil Nadu. So the introduction of elephant safari here will be a great opportunity for the tourists to experience the essence of this place and appreciate the flora and fauna spread across the region,” said a forest department senior official.

Elephant safari is one of the main attractions in any national park. They are popular with the children and young adults for whom riding on the back of these mighty beasts is a unique adventure. The elephants also have a great means to access those corners of the national park or sanctuary which are otherwise inaccessible by road.

It is claimed that in a recent visit to Bandipur, Forest Minister Umesh V. Katti had a meeting with the officials and also agreed to work on the elephant safari. 

Ravi Kumar MS, ACF Bandipur said, “In a recent meeting the minister has agreed to start elephant camp similar to Mudumalai. So we will bring more elephants from Rampura Camp which are well trained. The proposed safari will be of one-hour duration.