Elephant 'soft release' centre to come up in Malnad: Eshwar Khandre

He said over 5,000 acres of land in the proposed Elephant Vihar Dham will have elephants' favourite plants like bamboo, jackfruit and grass. The area will be barricaded and captured elephants will be released there.

Shivamogga: To minimise human-animal conflicts and curb elephant menace in the Malnad region, the state government has decided to establish an Elephant Soft Release Centre, also known as an Elephant Vihar Dham, spanning over 2,000 hectares in Bhadra reserve forest region. 

Announcing this at the inauguration of the silver jubilee celebrations of Bhadra Tiger Reserve on Kuvempu University campus at Shankaraghatta near in Shivamogga on Friday, Forest, Ecology and Environment Minister Eshwar B Khandre said human-wildlife conflicts in the state, where elephants are causing loss of lives and crops, are on the rise. 

He said over 5,000 acres of land in the proposed Elephant Vihar Dham will have elephants' favourite plants like bamboo, jackfruit and grass. The area will be barricaded and captured elephants will be released here. This initiative is expected to alleviate the problems faced by people in Kodagu, Hassan, Shivamogga and Chikkamagaluru districts where elephants stray into human habitats.

He also announced the establishment of an elephant camp in Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary to control the elephant menace in Hassan, Chikkamagaluru and Shivamogga region.

He said, previously, 736 families from 16 villages resided within the Bhadra Tiger Reserve. These families voluntarily relocated to Kelaguru and Malali Channenahalli villages in Chikkamagaluru district under the Bhadra Rehabilitation Project. This is considered one of the most successful rehabilitation projects in India, highlighting the importance of people's participation in tiger conservation. The state government will make efforts to convince and rehabilitate those living inside other forest areas in the state.

After the relocation of the forest dwellers, human-wildlife conflict has significantly reduced in Bhadra, he said. The protected area, which initially had eight tigers, now has 40 tigers due to the conservation of their habitat. The dense forest is home to over 400 elephants, he added.

On this occasion, the minister released a commemorative postage stamp, website, and booklets for the Bhadra Silver Jubilee celebration.

The minister said the Bhadra Tiger Reserve is part of the forest region spanning over 1,000 square kilometres. It encompasses rich forest wealth of the Western Ghats, a World Heritage Site. Karnataka ranks second in the country in tiger population, with around 563 tigers. The tiger conservation project, launched by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1973 to protect endangered tigers, has also completed 50 years, which is another cause for celebration, he said.

The number of tigers in the country, which was only 1,827 in 1980, has now surpassed 3,000. The minister attributed this to the efforts of the forest staff across the country. Sufficient measures have been taken to protect tigers in the state as well, he said. In the past, tigers were poached for their skin and claws. Recognising this, the forest department has opened more than 200 anti-poaching camps in the state's five tiger reserves, effectively curbing poaching and leading to an increase in the tiger population, he explained.

The Bhadra Tiger Reserve encompasses a picturesque natural landscape with rivers, streams, and ravines flowing throughout the year. The area is rich in water resources, flora, fauna and insect diversity, making it a valuable habitat for hundreds of endangered wildlife species.

Recognising the importance of the region's wildlife, the erstwhile Mysore government had declared an area of 124 square kilometres as the 'Jagara Valley Game Reserve' in 1951.

Later, in 1974, the Karnataka government expanded it to 492 square kilometres and notified it as the Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary. In 1998, this wildlife sanctuary was declared as the 25th Tiger Reserve in the country under the 'Project Tiger' scheme, the minister noted.

He said Bhadra boasts diverse range of flora, fauna, and insect species. The variety of frogs found here is unparalleled elsewhere. The area is also home to several rare plant species. The minister called for protection of this biodiversity and urged elected representatives, officials from various departments, organisations, environmentalists, and the public to join hands in this endeavour.