Karnataka pushes tiger conservation with soft‑release centres and habitat‑protection survey

The Karnataka forest department plans to set up two soft‑release centres for rescued or translocated tigers, one at Bandipur Tiger Reserve and another near Bhadra Tiger Reserve in Chikkamagaluru. A team led by wildlife officer Biswajit Mishra, veterinarian Wasim and the Chikkamagaluru DCF will travel to Kanha National Park in Madhya Pradesh to study its soft‑release programme and adapt the model for Karnataka.

In parallel, the state is conducting a survey under the All‑India Tiger Outside Tiger Reserves (TOTR) project, covering three divisions in Kodagu and one each in Hassan and Mysuru. The study aims to identify forest patches where tiger signs have been recorded and to restrict future development, protecting the species without creating new reserves or zoos. A senior forest official said, "We are not keen to declare another tiger reserve, but want to protect the species." The survey comes as four of Karnataka's five tiger reserves have reached carrying‑capacity limits, while the Kali reserve continues to see population growth.