Forest department contemplates widening safari track inside Bandipur

MYSURU: Ensuring safety of visitors appears to be paramount to the officials of the Bandipur Tiger Reserve (BTR). Close on the heels of shifting the safari out of the core forest area to ward off any possible threat from wild animals, officials in the forest department are now contemplating widening the track cleaved within the forest for the passage of the safari vehicles.
As of now, this track is 10m wide, and hemmed in by bushes and small plants on either side. However, with the danger of marauding animals, particularly elephants, straying onto the track growing with each passing day, the officials want to double the width of the track, which, besides increasing the buffer zone between the visitors and the wilderness, will give the personnel supervising the safari those invaluable extra moments to react to the threat.
Thankfully, no incidents involving visitors sustaining grievous wounds, or being maimed by wild animals have been reported thus far from the reserve. However, marauding elephants pose a definite threat to the safety of passengers, and the officials have decided not to take this lightly. “There are certain points along the track where overgrowth of shrubs limits our line of sight, making it difficult to perceive a threat. At these points, we will clear the overgrown plants, and widen the track. This is the first time such an exercise is being undertaken at Bandipur,” BTR director Balachandra told TOI.
Balachandra said that the entire length of the safari track that crisscrossed the reserve was roughly 256km. “Of this, the plan is to widen 68km of the track, which includes the popular ‘Tiger Road’. The estimated cost of this project is Rs 35 lakh,” he added.
Forest dept mulling solutions to lantana menace
Meanwhile, the growing menace of lantana grass across the forest has alarmed the authorities, who are chalking out a plan to rid the forest of these dangerous meadows, which are particularly susceptible to fires.
The extensive growth of lantana grass is one of the reasons forest fires spreads as quickly in Bandipur. With thousands of acres of the reserve forest having gone up in flames earlier this year, the forest department is taking all possible precautions to prevent an inferno in the woods. The department has been approached by a few voluntary organisations, which have offered to lend a hand to reduce lantana cover in the forest, and plant saplings and sow seeds where the dangerous grass has been removed.
BTR director Balachandra said that they would not take any decision in haste, since a massive operation could adversely impact the ecological balance of the forest. “We are treading very cautiously. If the lantana grass is removed on a massive scale in a short span of time, there is the danger of parthenium growing uncontrollably across the forest, which will turn into another problem for us. A chemical spray prepared by a Delhi-based firm can be used to dry the grass, but what we do not know is whether anything will grow in the soil where such chemicals have been used. Although we have been approached by volunteers, we are studying the possible consequences of such a large-scale operation. We will take a decision only after all the pros and cons have been thoroughly studied,” he added.