Kerala and Tamil Nadu to reopen tiger reserves

Four more Indian tiger sanctuaries will reopen next month after the recent ban.

Officials in Kerala and Tamil Nadu’s four tiger reserves have made the changes imposed by the Indian Supreme Court and are ready to reopen the sanctuaries to tourists again next week.

Parambikulam in Kerala and Anamalai, Muthumalai and Kalakkadu in Tamil Nadu will once again run tourist trips into the forest after being closed for the past three months, the Hindu reported.

The courts had previously banned tiger tourism in the country in an effort to aid conservation, but the latest rules stipulate that 20 per cent of the reserve area can now be used for eco-tourism, as it will help to garner public support for the ecology efforts.

Anyone booking flights to Thiruvananthapuram or Cochin will now be able to see the magnificent beasts in their natural habitat and know that they are aiding the conservation programme.

The recommencing of the eco-tourism activities will also come as a big relief to the 300 tribal families that live in the Parambikulam Tiger Reserve.

Written by Erin Marshall