Bengaluru, March 12 -- "Human lives come first, tourism later," Karnataka Forest, Ecology and Environment Minister Eshwar B Khandre said on Thursday while defending the state government's decision to temporarily suspend safari operations in Bandipur National Park and Nagarhole National Park following a series of tiger attacks in forest-fringe areas.
Responding to concerns over the halt in safari activities, the minister said the government could not prioritise tourism when human lives were at risk. He noted that three people had died in tiger attacks within a span of about 15 days in villages bordering the forests, while another victim had suffered permanent disability.
Khandre said the decision to suspend safaris was taken as a precautio...