Forest department tightens safari safety norms after Dubare elephant camp tragedy

Bengaluru: In a major move aimed at improving tourist safety in Karnataka’s wildlife destinations, Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre has ordered officials to phase out open safari campers and introduce safer enclosed buses in tiger reserves and wildlife sanctuaries across the state.

The decision follows the recent death of a tourist woman at Dubare Elephant Camp after she reportedly came under captive elephants engaged in a fight during a public viewing session.

Concerned over the incident, the minister directed senior forest officials to strengthen visitor safety measures in safari zones and elephant camps frequented by domestic and international tourists.

The revised instructions apply to safari operations in key protected areas such as Bandipur Tiger Reserve, Nagarhole National Park, Kali Tiger Reserve, Bhadra Tiger Reserve and Biligirirangana Hills, along with wildlife areas including MM Hills, Dandeli and K Gudi.

In his directive, Khandre noted that although no major incident involving attacks by wild animals on safari vehicles has occurred so far, authorities should not wait for a disaster before implementing stronger safety standards.

Officials have now been asked to prioritise secure bus-based safari systems instead of open campers. Existing safari vehicles may also be fitted with iron grills or unbreakable glass protection to minimise risks from animal encounters.

The minister further instructed forest staff to ensure that tourists are strictly prohibited from stepping out of safari vehicles inside forest regions.

To improve emergency preparedness, every safari vehicle must be equipped with first-aid facilities, while ambulances should remain available near safari centres and elephant camps at all times.

Following the Dubare incident, the forest department has also been directed to formulate a comprehensive Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for all captive elephant camps in Karnataka.

The proposed SOP will include stricter safety regulations for tourists, controlled viewing zones and mandatory distance protocols during elephant interaction activities.

Officials have specifically been instructed to permit elephant bathing observations only from a minimum distance of 100 feet to avoid any direct threat to visitors. The Karnataka forest department believes the new measures will significantly improve tourist safety while maintaining the state’s growing wildlife tourism sector.