Nagpur: After a three-month monsoon pause, the forests of Vidarbha once again opened their gates to wildlife enthusiasts on Thursday, drawing hundreds of tourists to tiger reserves and sanctuaries across the region on the first day of the new safari season.
The much-awaited reopening of the core zone of the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) proved particularly popular, with 100 safari vehicles carrying 564 tourists venturing into the forest. The visitors included four foreign tourists.
TATR, one of Maharashtra’s most prominent tiger destinations, had shut its core area to tourists from June 30 to September 30 as part of the annual monsoon closure. The seasonal restriction is aimed at minimising disturbance to wildlife, allowing forests and habitats to regenerate and ensuring the safety of both animals and visitors during the rainy months.
While core-zone tourism remained suspended, safari operations continued in the buffer areas of TATR.
The reopening of the core zone was formally marked at Moharli Gate, where Deputy Conservator of Forests (Core Area) Anand Reddy inaugurated the new safari season. The local sarpanch and forest department officials were present at the ceremony as tourist vehicles were flagged off into the reserve.
The monsoon has given Tadoba’s landscape a dramatic makeover. Its water bodies have been replenished, while bamboo groves and grasslands have turned lush green, giving the forest a fresh appearance after months of rain.
Wildlife sightings further added to the excitement on the opening day, with tourists reporting sightings of tigers, leopards, sloth bears and other wild animals during their excursions.
The enthusiasm was not limited to Tadoba. Pench Tiger Reserve (PTR) and Umred-Pauni-Karhandla Wildlife Sanctuary (UPKWS) also recorded a strong response as safari operations resumed.
According to forest officials, tourists entered the two wildlife destinations through 10 gates on Thursday. At the Khursapar Gate of Pench, visitors were fortunate to spot a sub-adult cub of tigress Bindu, while leopards were sighted in the Gothangaon area of UPKWS.
With the monsoon closure now over, the reopening of the core zones has brought renewed activity to Vidarbha’s wildlife tourism circuit, with tourists once again heading into the forests in search of the region’s iconic tigers and other wildlife.
