APCCF reviews camp infrastructure, visitor management practices, safety protocols

Kushalnagar: Following the tragic incident at Kodagu’s Dubare Elephant Camp that claimed the lives of a woman tourist from Chennai and camp elephant Jai Marthanda, senior Forest officials have launched a detailed investigation and initiated major safety reforms at the popular eco-tourism destination.

Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests — APCCF (Vigilance) — Manoj Kumar Tripathi and Madikeri Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF) Abhishek, accompanied by Dubare Range Forest Officer (RFO) Rakshith, visited the camp yesterday for an extensive inspection.

Authorities have decided to keep the camp closed to tourists for at least 15 days while new safety guidelines and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are prepared and implemented.

The inspection team carried out a detailed review of the camp’s infrastructure, visitor management practices and safety protocols. Officials also recorded statements from the Mahouts and Kavadis associated with elephants Kanjan and Jai Marthanda, which were involved in the fatal incident.

Speaking to Star of Mysore, RFO Rakshith said, a new SOP is being drafted and indicated that the camp’s overall structure and visitor movement system would undergo major changes before reopening to the public.

Zoning & physical barriers

Until now, tourists at Dubare were allowed to move around freely and interact closely with elephants. Under the proposed guidelines, strict zoning and physical barriers will be introduced to prevent unrestricted public access to the animals.

Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre has already directed that a minimum 100-foot safety distance be maintained between tourists and elephants at all camps. Activities such as bathing elephants, feeding them and posing for photographs with them are expected to be permanently discontinued.

Officials said, the scale of the proposed structural and operational changes would require more than two weeks for implementation at Dubare. While Mathigodu and Harangi elephant camps continue to remain open, Dubare will stay shut until the Forest Department is fully satisfied with the revised                             safety measures.

Kanjan isolated

Meanwhile, tusker Kanjan has been placed under strict isolation and constant monitoring. The elephant has been secured with a double-chain system near his Mahout’s residential quarters inside the camp.

Forest staff have also altered Kanjan’s daily routine as a precautionary measure. He is no longer being taken along common routes or to shared bathing areas used by other elephants. Instead, he is escorted through a separate route only for drinking water before being brought back to his designated enclosure.

For now, the Department has decided not to confine Kanjan inside a ‘kraal’ (a heavy wooden confinement cage). However, the tusker has been barred from participating in camp activities, elephant capture operations and combing duties.