Armed commandos are to be deployed in the jungles of southern India to deter poachers from capturing and killing endangered tigers.

The 54-strong Special Tiger Protection Force will patrol the two main tiger reserves of Bandipur and Nagarhole national parks on the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu state border, the Karnataka government in Bangalore said on Wednesday.

Indian wildlife officials inspect a confiscated tiger skin in Amritsar last year. Credit:AFP

The squad, which includes forest rangers, has undergone a three-month course in jungle survival techniques as well as weapons training.

"We plan to induct an additional 54 personnel into the force for deploying in the other three tiger reserves across the state," BK Singh, the state's principal chief conservator of forests, told reporters.