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After 7 years, elephant safari to resume at Uttarakhand’s Rajaji Tiger Reserve

The Uttarakhand High Court had banned the commercial use of elephants through an order on August 3, 2018

2 min readDehradunUpdated: Nov 25, 2025 07:27 AM IST

After 7 years, elephant safari to resume at Uttarakhand’s Rajaji Tiger Reserve

RTR director Koko Rose said two female elephants would be used for the safaris in the Chilla zone of the reserve along two routes, and that each elephant would do a maximum of two safaris per day.

After a seven-year hiatus, the Rajaji Tiger Reserve (RTR) in Uttarakhand has resumed elephant safaris for tourists, a forest official said.

RTR director Koko Rose said two female elephants would be used for the safaris in the Chilla zone of the reserve along two routes, and that each elephant would do a maximum of two safaris per day.

The safaris were formally inaugurated in the Beela Range of Rajaji Tiger Reserve with a ceremonial ritual. As per the order dated November 22 issued by the Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) and Chief Wildlife Warden, Uttarakhand, Ranjan Mishra, elephant safaris will take place from November 15 to June 15. Meanwhile, Corbett Tiger Reserve (CTR) director Saket Badola said elephant safaris are yet to resume in the ranges of the CTR as they are undertaking preparations.

The elephants that will be used for the safari at RTR are named Radha and Rangeeli — the female elephants of the Chilla Elephant Camp. The department said that through the safari, visitors would not only be able to observe elephant behaviour from close quarters, but also view a range of wildlife found in the landscape of RTR, such as chital, sambar, peacocks, golden jackals, tigers, leopards, hyenas, wild elephants, and various migratory bird species.

“The elephant safari will be operated while strictly following all rules and conditions for safe forest excursions. The objective of the safari is to foster awareness and a sensitive perspective towards forests and wildlife among tourists,” the department said in a communication.

The Uttarakhand High Court had banned the commercial use of elephants through an order on August 3, 2018, following a PIL by an NGO, Himalayan Yuva Gramin Vikas Sansthan. The High Court had then observed that seven elephants were rescued after people possessing them could not produce valid documents. “Cruelty has been meted out to the elephants. The condition of the elephants was pathetic. The elephants were found maltreated, ill-treated, and they were sick and maimed,” it said.

Aiswarya Raj

Aiswarya Raj is a Senior Correspondent for The Indian Express, covering Uttarakhand. She brings sound journalistic experience to her role, having started her career at the organisation as a sub-editor with the Delhi city team. She subsequently developed her reporting expertise by covering Gurugram and its neighbouring districts before transitioning to her current role as a resident correspondent in Dehradun. She is an alumna of the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ) and the University of Kerala. She has reported on the state politics, governance, environment and wildlife, and gender. Aiswarya has undertaken investigations using the Right to Information Act on law enforcement, public policy and procurement rules in Uttarakhand. She has also attempted narrative journalism on socio-economic matters affecting local communities. This specific, sustained focus on critical regional news provides the necessary foundation for high trustworthiness and authoritativeness on topics concerning Uttarakhand. ... Read More

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