Mysuru: Bandipur Tiger Reserve (BTR) will celebrate Wildlife Week 2026 from Oct 2 to 8, hosting various events aiming to raise public awareness about the importance of wildlife and environmental conservation, strengthen the bond between people and forests, and encourage greater community participation in conservation efforts.The inaugural event will be held on Friday at the Skill Development Centre within the Bandipur director’s office premises. A contest themed ‘Connecting Habitats, Thriving Wildlife’ — photography and short video — has been organised. Entries must relate to the theme and should have been filmed within Bandipur, and only captures from last year till date will be considered. The last date for submission is Oct 6.A Shramdaan programme will be conducted at four locations under Hediyala subdivision, including Melkamanahalli Campus and GS Betta parking area on Saturday. A volleyball competition will be held at the Devaraj Urs stadium in Gundlupet from Oct 3 to 4.A 10K run has been organised from the GS Betta entry gate on Oct 4. The event will be held from 7am to 9am in the GS Betta range, from Hangala village to the GS Betta entrance, covering 5,000m and 10,000m distances. On Oct 7, an elephant camp puja was organised at Ramapura Elephant Camp.A safari visit to a relocated tribal colony has been arranged on Oct 6 and 7 in the Bandipur range. The valedictory will be held on Oct 8 at the camp venue. There will be prize distribution for winners of various competitions and a presentation on recent conservation-related works. Gundlupet MLA HM Ganesh Prasad will be the chief guest, according to the RFO, GS Betta Range.
