Badasahi/Baripada: Good news for tourists, travellers and locals in Simlipal area of Mayurbhanj district. A tiger safari is going to be set up near the Similipal national park and tiger reserve. The project is expected to draw more tourist footfalls and boost tourism in the area, a report said.
Once set up, it will be the first Tiger Safari in the state. According to the report, the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has intimated its intention to Similipal park authorities. The NTCA has directed the park authorities to earmark a suitable land in the area.
The Similipal national park, famous for its rich biodiversity and a tiger project, is located in the northern-most part of the state. It is part of the larger Central Indian landscape and bio-geographic zone of the Deccan peninsula. It is spread over 2,750 sq km and the fourth largest tiger reserve in the country.
Its core area measures 1194.75 sq km and the buffer zone is around 1555.25 sq km. Endowed with beautiful flora and fauna, it is the proud claimant of being one of the largest wildlife sanctuaries of India and in 1973, it became an essential part of the Tiger Project.
The Simlipal National Park is a nature’s boon not only in terms of wildlife but also in faunal diversity.
Bordering the Santhal Tribal settlement, Simlipal provides us with a complete ecosystem conducive for floral, faunal and human habitat. Filled with plateaus, meadows, gushing rivers, waterfalls, and dense forests, this area is nothing less than a gift of nature making it a traveller’s paradise.
Every year, the park has been drawing thousands of visitors from various parts of the country to enjoy its flora and fauna.
The park provides a safe sanctuary for Royal Bengal Tigers and leopards, whose numbers are on the rise. Its tourism potential is increasing. By January end in the current year, Similipal has recorded visits of 30,000 tourists and generated revenue of Rs 1.4 crore.
It is learnt that due to movement of tourist vehicles inside the park, tigers feel unsafe and are disturbed.
In order to give the big cats a tranquil atmosphere, the NTCA has decided to set up a tiger safari. The NTCA is looking for a place which will be suitable connected with STR.
The safari project is likely to be set up at Jashipur under Karanjia subdivision.
The STR and the Karanjia DFO have been asked by the NTCA to locate a suitable land for the tiger safari. “Tourists will not be allowed inside the sanctuary. They will have chances to see tigers in the safari in the area adjacent to the park area,” said Jajanadat Pati, the deputy director of the STA.
In the tiger safari, tamed tigers and those of melanistic species will be kept, sources in the forest department said. However, it is not yet clear how many tigers will be kept and from where they will be brought here.
Significantly, the National Tiger Conversation Authority (NTCA) carried out a study on the cost benefits of the STR. The study released recently stated that STR serves not only big cats but also the state.
The ‘Economic Valuation of Tiger Reserves in India: Phase II’ study carried out by NTCA with the Centre for Ecological Services Management (CESM) at the Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM) between 2016 and 2019 states that the STR generates benefits worth Rs 16,000 crore every year in terms of its ecosystem services and values.
The NTCA and IIFM report released recently said tiger reserves are among the most effective tools of conservation of natural forest and wild areas.