Bandipur Forest Fire Eats Up Thousands Of Acres Of Vegetation!

First spotted on Saturday, 23rd February 2019, a massive fire broke out at the Bandipur National Park in Karnataka burning over 2500 acres of land to the ground. As of now, there is no information on any loss of any wildlife yet since officials are not able to enter the affected areas. The fire has claimed one human life, an official who succumbed to his burns on Saturday. 500 volunteers, officials and firefighters are on the scene controlling the flames to prevent the fire from spreading further.

 
This tragic incident has not only destroyed acres of vegetation but also forced the terrified wild animals closer to human territory. Bandipur Tiger Reserve is said to have the highest population of tigers in the country and amazingly, the fire hasn't affected the Tiger reserve.  

Tourism in the region has stopped for a while till the situation is under control and will begin again when given the green signal by the officials. This includes safaris and tours held by the park and reserve as well as the ones organised by wildlife resorts in the vicinity, namely the jungle Lodges Bandipur and The Serai in Bandipur, which remain closed as well. Also, movement of vehicles has been banned on National Highway- 67, which connects Ooty to Mysore.

There is no official report on the cause of the fire but it is believed to be 'manmade', saying it could possibly be an 'act of sabotage' as said by Karnataka's top forest officials.