Overview
- Karnataka issued an official circular Tuesday ordering a temporary shutdown of trekking trails and public thoroughfares where wildlife move or conflicts have occurred.
- At Male Mahadeshwara Hills, officials cut the Nagamale padayatra from 14 km to 3 km and will require devotees to take jeeps from the ticket counter.
- Guides must accompany permitted walkers with walkie-talkies and safety gear, and crews will clear vegetation along the route to improve visibility.
- Year-round walking to MM Hills and the 7 km Madappa Darshana route will now be limited to Shivaratri and Ugadi festivals, with more forest staff and new wildlife warning signs in place.
- The move follows the death of 10-year-old Harshith Gowda in a leopard attack near Nagamale on May 10 and comes as the state enforces new trekking SOPs that keep routes closed until compliance is certified across 44 regulated trails.