Surrounded by pristine forests on all sides, the resort has come up on agricultural land though the permission was granted to construct only a farmhouse. According to conservationists, the fullfledged private tourism resort - Sam Nature and Health Camp - is operating in gross violation of Section 95 (2) of the Karnataka Land Revenue Act 1964 and the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

"The area where the resort is constructed has already been declared as part of the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary in 2011. The owner has not obtained necessary permission from the Forest Department and the National Board for Wildlife to run a commercial tourism resort inside the wildlife sanctuary as per Section 28 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972," local conservationist Prashant Yavagal alleged.

The resort management, however, claim that it has obtained permission from the Department of Tourism, Karnataka. But the tourism department is only concerned with facilities provided in the resort and is not a competent authority to accord permission for operation of resorts inside protected areas.

"Moreover, the wilderness tourism policy laid down by the tourism department specifically states that private resorts will not be permitted to operate within national parks/wildlife sanctuaries or within enclosures inside these protected areas. Soligere village being such an enclosure within the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary, the permission accorded by the tourism department is in violation of its own policy and rules," Prashant said.

Besides being home to the elusive honey badger (also known as ratel), the Cauvery Wildlife sanctuary forms an important corridor for movement of elephants from Karnataka to Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.

Large mammals found in the sanctuary include tiger, leopard, Asiatic elephant, chital, sambar and gaur. Grizzled giant squirrel and the endangered fish Deccan Mahsheer are also found in this sanctuary.

The forest department has already issued two notices to the resort owners to stop the illegal tourism activity. Earlier, illegal resorts were reported to have disturbed wildlife in tiger reserves like Bandipur and Nagarahole.

While the fight against such illegal tourism activities in Bandipur that block critical wildlife and elephant corridors is still on, such activities are now spreading to other critical wildlife habitats.

"Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary is still recovering from the threats posed by hundreds of cattle sheds and rampant poaching activities in the past. There is an immediate necessity to evict such illegal constructions," Prashant added.