Elephant safaris at crossroads as Chitwan weighs ethical tourism shift

A landmark ruling has left Nepal’s premier wildlife destination looking for a way to protect both a tourism economy built around elephant safaris and the livelihoods that depend on it.

On Friday afternoon, nature guide Samjhana Tiwari posted a video on Facebook showing a long queue of tourist vehicles heading towards the Baghmara Buffer Zone Community Forest for elephant and boat safaris.