BENGALURU: The horticulture department’s guided walking tours in Cubbon Park (Sri Chamarajendra Park) have drawn hundreds of participants over the past three months, eager to explore Bengaluru’s green heritage. However, plans to launch a similar initiative at Lalbagh Botanical Garden have hit a roadblock — a shortage of trained naturalists.

The weekend Cubbon Park Nature Walks, launched in July in collaboration with The Naturalist School and Bangalore Walks, have been a runaway success, conducted every weekend in both English and Kannada.

“Currently, only four naturalists are available, and all are engaged in the Cubbon Park walks. It will take a few more months before we can start at Lalbagh,” said M. Jagadeesh, Joint Director (Parks & Gardens), Horticulture Department.

He added that finding suitable guides is challenging: “We need people who understand the flora and fauna and can narrate engagingly. It’s not easy to find such a mix.”

Stakeholders differ on delay reason

However, Arun Pai from Bangalore Walks disputed the claim, saying, “We have six to seven naturalists on rotation and are training more. The Lalbagh walk is not delayed due to a shortage but because we want to finish a three-month review of Cubbon Park tours first.”

Another source noted that some naturalists were hesitant to work with the department after it banned private guided tours in Cubbon Park earlier this year — a move that drew criticism from nature educators.

English walks draw bigger crowds

Since its launch, Cubbon Park Walks have attracted 942 visitors (869 adults and 73 children) till October 15, generating about ₹1.8 lakh in revenue from 38 tours — 23 in English and 15 in Kannada.

Organisers said the English batches are consistently full, drawing 25–30 participants each, while Kannada walks average around 15 participants.

“To consolidate attendance, Kannada walks are now held only on Sundays, while English tours run on both days,” said Radha Rangarajan, one of the naturalists. The organisers plan to boost Kannada participation through Instagram promotions, RWA networks, and collaborations with Kannada influencers.