The Chief Minister's Office of Karnataka announced on Saturday, 27 June 2026 that full-scale jungle safaris will be resumed at Bandipur Tiger Reserve and Nagarhole Tiger Reserve, two of the state's most celebrated protected areas, with the decision grounded in a scientific carrying-capacity assessment by an expert committee.

Chief Minister DK Shivakumar shared the announcement directly, stating: 'I bring good news for wildlife and safari enthusiasts. Full-scale jungle safaris will be restarted in the state's proud tiger reserves, Bandipur and Nagarhole.' He added that the government is 'committed to fulfilling the aspirations of nature lovers who wish to roam the forests and enjoy wildlife, while also maintaining natural balance so that no harm comes to biodiversity and the dignity of animal habitats is upheld.'

Context

The resumption follows a scientific evaluation by an expert panel that assessed the carrying capacity — the maximum visitor load these ecosystems can absorb without ecological harm — of both reserves. Shivakumar emphasised that safaris will operate in a 'strictly regulated manner,' with wildlife conservation given the 'first priority.' Visitors, he appealed, must comply with the rules governing safari conduct.

Policy Backdrop

Bandipur and Nagarhole are contiguous reserves within the Western Ghats landscape and were among the original reserves designated under Project Tiger in 1973. The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), the statutory body under the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, has since 2012 required states to conduct scientific carrying-capacity studies before permitting tourist access to core zones of tiger reserves. Karnataka's decision to rely on such an assessment before reopening safaris places it squarely within NTCA's prescribed framework.

Indian states have periodically restricted and then reintroduced wildlife tourism, guided by NTCA norms that protect core areas while allowing limited, zone-wise visitor access. Karnataka's approach mirrors that of other tiger-range states where expert panels determine visitor quotas and monitoring protocols.

Stakeholders and Impact

The restart is expected to benefit safari tourists, local tour operators, and hospitality businesses in the buffer zones around both reserves, whose livelihoods are closely tied to visitor footfall. Shivakumar explicitly cited 'reviving the local economy' and 'achieving state economic progress' through sustainable eco-tourism as core objectives alongside biodiversity protection. The Karnataka Forest Department will be responsible for implementing zone-specific quotas and ensuring compliance with safari regulations.

Conservation experts and wildlife advocates will watch closely to ensure that the regulated framework translates into on-ground enforcement, particularly given the high tiger density in both reserves and their ecological sensitivity as part of a connected landscape.

What's Next

Detailed notifications from the Karnataka Forest Department are expected to specify zone-wise safari quotas, booking protocols, and wildlife-disturbance monitoring mechanisms. Periodic reporting on ecological indicators and revenue-sharing arrangements with local communities will be critical to demonstrating that the government's stated commitment to 'sustainable eco-tourism' is being upheld in practice.