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Elephants to be brought from Karnataka for safari at Corbett Tiger Reserve
After three Corbett elephants were relieved of safari duty in January, the forest department will bring 10 jumbos from Karnataka that will take tourists on their backs around places in the reserve, officials said
Tourists will be able to enjoy the thrills of an elephant safari at the Corbett Tiger Reserve in Uttarakhand from November like they do at Ranthambore and other reserves in the country.
After three Corbett elephants were relieved of safari duty in January, the forest department will bring 10 jumbos from Karnataka that will take tourists on their backs around places in the reserve, officials said.
The Corbett Foundation has approved Rs 1 lakh for elephant safaris, which attract tourists mostly from Delhi, National Capital Region (NCR), Haryana, and Punjab.
Corbett got nine elephants -- seven adults and two cubs -- from Karnataka in 2016 for patrolling. But the 10 elephants to be brought this time will be used to give safari rides to tourists.
“Karnataka has earlier donated elephants to us. It was approved by National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) for patrolling purpose. We will approach them again for elephants for safari,” state forest minister Harak Singh Rawat said.
The three retired elephants, which used to offer safari rides, are now only taken for a stroll because of their old age. According to the Centre’s guidelines, the retirement age of an elephant is 65 years. They can also be retired early owing to medical emergencies.
The retirement of three elephants, brought from Assam about 30 years ago, affected safari rides, a tourist attraction.
“Elephants should have been brought before retirement of departmental ones as it disappoints tourists. Why should a tourist come to Corbett, when he is getting safari ride in Dudhwa and other tiger reserves?” asked Hari Singh Mann of the Hotel and Resort Association in Ramnagar.
Elephant safari is permitted only in Dhikala and Bijrani zones of Corbett that houses 240 tigers – the reserve is believed to have the highest density of big cats.
The Corbett management will soon send a proposal to NTCA for bringing elephants, and then Karnataka will be communicated. “We will start preparing the project now, so that the attraction (safari) could be added in the next season starting from November,” Corbett director Surendra Mehra said. Charges for visits and stays at Corbett will be increased from the next tourist season.
Forest officials earlier tried to bring six elephants from Karnataka for the Rajaji Tiger Reserve, but the plan has been put on the back burner.
More gypsies
For day visits to Corbett, 50 additional gypsies will be permitted and 25 more guides will be trained. The minister also gave nod to create an umbrella body -- Foundation for Wildlife Conservation of Uttarakhand -- to take care of the management plan and other activities of national parks, tiger reserves, wildlife sanctuaries and zoos.
