Dubare tragedy: State imposes 100-ft safety buffer around elephants

Following the fatal incident at the Dubare Elephant Camp that claimed the life of a woman tourist, Minister for Forest, Ecology and Environment Eshwar B. Khandre on Monday directed that tourists should not be allowed near elephants and must maintain a minimum distance of 100 feet while watching elephant bathing activities at all elephant camps across the State. The directive will come into effect from Tuesday.

The Minister also ordered the framing of a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for tourist safety at all elephant camps and instructed the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief Wildlife Warden to tighten safety measures.

The move follows the incident at the Dubare Elephant Camp near Kushalnagar in Kodagu district, where two captive elephants clashed during a bathing session, leading to the death of a tourist from Tamil Nadu.

As part of the immediate measures, tourists will not be permitted to approach elephants under any circumstances. Visitors will also be barred from taking selfies or photographs in close proximity to elephants and from participating in elephant bathing activities, Mr. Khandre stated in a press release.

The Minister said that an SOP had already been prepared for eco-tourism trekking routes and that operations at such trails had been temporarily suspended until the implementation of safety protocols. Similar guidelines, he said, would now be prepared for elephant camps for visitor safety.

The new restrictions are aimed at regulating tourist interaction with captive elephants and preventing recurrence of such incidents. Officials have also been directed not to allow tourists to feed elephants directly with bananas, jaggery, sugarcane or any other food items.