[1]The Supreme Court directive issued a few days ago banning tourist intrusion into core areas of tiger resorts has hit the wildlife tourism industry in the State hard. Officials of the Jungle Lodges and Resorts are holding a meeting in Bengaluru on Friday to discuss what to do now. Owners of resorts in other tiger reserve areas, Nagarhole, Bandipur and Dandeli, are also expected to attend.
JLR managers in Bandipur are worried about the 11 rooms that are already booked and how they will face their customers for whom the main attraction is the jungle safari organised by JLR. JLR says it will have to refund advance payments, and is sore that the court did not allow some time for the ruling to come into effect. JLR properties in Bandipur and Nagarhole have bookings up to next summer. There is also the question of employment for those dependent on wildlife tourism. Bandipur alone has 1,500 employees dependent on wildlife tourism.
Owners of new properties such as Roopsagar and Lakeview will see their investments going down the tube. Vishalakshi Devi, a member of the erstwhile Mysore royal family, who runs a wildlife resort in Bandipur, said there should be strict rules and regulations not a blanket ban on safaris. Since wildlife sanctuaries are created for the benefit of wildlife and not humans, the ban is supported by many conservationists. “The disturbance for tigers in Karnataka is immense as safari trips are conducted throughout the year. In North India, tiger reserves shut down during the monsoon season. Since the resorts throughout the year, the effect of the ban will be felt more in the State,” said an expert.
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