The Chamarajanagar forest circle comprises the Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Tiger Reserve and two wildlife divisions, Cauvery and Male Mahadeshwara Hills.
| Photo Credit: K. MURALI KUMAR
Since 2010-11, a total of 3,289 forest offence cases have been registered in Chamarajanagar forest circle, in which three suspected poachers were killed in an alleged exchange of fire with Forest Department personnel in the early hours of August 15.
The Chamarajanagar forest circle comprises the Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple (BRT) Tiger Reserve and two wildlife divisions, Cauvery and Male Mahadeshwara Hills (M.M. Hills).
The three poachers, Antony Swamy, John Rose Peter and Kumar, were killed in the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary in Hanur taluk of Chamarajanagar district. Another suspected poacher, Mahimadan, escaped from the spot and was later found admitted to a private hospital in Mysuru.
Kind of cases
According to Forest Department data, of the 3,289 forest offence cases registered between 2010-11 and August 19, 2026, 777 were Wildlife Offence Report (WLOR) cases, 370 were poaching cases, and 66 were gun-related cases.
According to the data, the highest number of cases, 2,256, was registered in the M.M. Hills Wildlife Division, followed by 793 cases in the BRT Tiger Reserve and 240 cases in the Cauvery Wildlife Division.
Of the 2,256 cases registered in the M.M. Hills Wildlife Division, 296 were Wildlife Offence Report (WLOR) cases, 166 were poaching cases and 32 were gun-related cases. Similarly, in the BRT Tiger Reserve, 280 were WLOR cases, while 107 and 17 were poaching and gun-related cases, respectively.
In the Cauvery Wildlife Division, 201 were WLOR cases, while 97 and 17 were poaching and gun-related cases, respectively. At the range level, the highest number of cases were registered in the Kollegal Buffer Zone (979), followed by the Hanur Buffer Zone (657) and the Chamaraja Territorial Range (352).
Poaching cases
Between 2010-11 and August 19, 2026, the highest number of poaching cases were registered in the Cowdahalli Wildlife Range (47), followed by 45 cases in the Hanur Buffer Range and 39 in the Chamaraja Territorial Range.
According to the Forest Department, most of the forest areas in the circle are wildlife habitats, comprising predominantly dry deciduous forests with scrub forests along the fringes. Patches of moist deciduous, semi-evergreen, evergreen and shola forests are found in the higher reaches of the BRT Tiger Reserve and the M.M. Hills.
Published – August 22, 2026 09:32 pm IST
