Bengaluru, July 04: The Karnataka Forest Department has implemented a comprehensive ‘Karnataka Elephant Camp Safety Protocol’ for the first time for elephant camps, captive elephant centers and public viewing centers in the state.
On May 19, a tourist from Tamil Nadu died at the Dubare elephant camp in Kodagu. The Forest Department has taken this step to further strengthen safety in this context.
According to these new rules, tourists are now completely prohibited from touching, bathing or feeding elephants.
As per the new guidelines, tourists must maintain a minimum distance of 30 feet while viewing elephants. Elephants will be allowed to be viewed from the ‘Green Zone’ or viewing gallery marked in the camps.
CCTV Surveillance:
All activities of elephants and tourists will be monitored through CCTV cameras. A maximum of 10 elephants are allowed in a camp for public viewing.
Implementation of the rules in 15 days:
Kumar Pushkar, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife), Forest Department, said that this safety protocol was signed on June 11 and camps have been given 15 days to comply with the rules.
Permission will be given to operate the camps only after verifying and certifying that the rules have been followed. He said that public activities will not be allowed in the camps until permission is obtained.
Time and number limit for tourists
The batches of tourists and viewing times will be fixed based on the capacity of the camp, number of elephants and tourist traffic.
In case of a green zone, a maximum of 50 to 75 tourists will be allowed. 20 to 30 minutes will be given to view the elephants, before that there will be a 10-minute briefing time and a 10-minute buffer time.
These new rules, implemented by the Forest Department keeping in mind the safety of tourists and the welfare of elephants at the camps, will soon be implemented in all camps in the state.