A pair of tigers near Srisailam in the Nallamala forest during the breeding season.
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With the arrival of the first showers of the southwest monsoon, the Nallamala hill ranges are once again being handed back to their rightful rulers, to romance and replenish their critically endangered species.
Beginning Wednesday (July 1, 2026), the Andhra Pradesh Forest Department has clamped its annual three-month ban across the core areas of the Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve (NSTR), drawing a curtain on human activity until September 30 to give the big cats an uninterrupted breeding season.
For the next 91 days, the roar of safari vehicles will be silenced. Trekking trails will be empty, and forest tracks that usually echo with pilgrims and tourists will belong almost entirely to wildlife. The seasonal restrictions apply to the NSTR forest divisions of Nandyal, Atmakur, Markapur and Giddalur, spanning large parts of Nandyal, Prakasam and Palnadu districts, and extending into the contiguous Nallamala forests of Telangana.
Pilgrims travelling to the Sri Brahmaramba Mallikarjuna Swamy temple at Srisailam, however, will continue to have regulated access whenever required, so that devotional activity remains largely unaffected.
Calling the closure a vital conservation measure, NSTR Field Director C. Selvam told The Hindu that breeding tigers required complete tranquillity during courtship. “A male and female may stay together for several days, mating repeatedly while fiercely defending their territory. The movement of vehicles, trekkers, or tourists can interrupt this natural behaviour, increase stress, and even force breeding pairs to abandon preferred habitats. The restrictions are strictly in accordance with the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA),” he said.
The three-month shutdown also means that popular eco-tourism destinations such as the Ishtakameswari temple, Gundla Brahmeswaram, Bairluty Jungle Camp, Tummalabailu and the Dornala-Srisailam forest safari will remain closed to human movement until the end of September.
Spread over 3,728 sq km in Andhra Pradesh, the NSTR is India’s largest tiger reserve and the ecological crown of the Eastern Ghats. Its tiger population has risen from 47 in 2018 to 76 in 2024, besides 11 cubs, underscoring the reserve’s growing importance in India’s conservation efforts, the NSTR officials say.
The latest All India Tiger Estimation places the country’s wild tiger population at 3,682, with the Nallamala landscape emerging as one of southern India’s most significant breeding strongholds.
But as the vast Nallamala forests celebrate the arrival of a new generation of tigers, thousands of Chenchu families across the ranges, whose lives are intertwined with the wilderness, are a worried lot, as the annual closure means months without access to forest produce such as honey, roots and gums, which sustains their livelihoods.
According to the Integrated Tribal Development Authority (ITDA) records, the Nallamala ranges are home to 47,315 Chenchus, and the adjoining landscape in Telangana is estimated to hold another 15,000 members of the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group.
“We seek financial support, just as fishermen receive during the fishing ban. We accept these restrictions because, in our tradition, the tiger is not merely an animal; it is our God,” said a Chenchu elder from Mekalabanda near Srisailam.
Published – July 01, 2026 03:51 pm IST
