The Uttarakhand tourism department is in talks with the Madhya Pradesh (MP) government to bring a white tiger to soon-to-be-built tiger safari park near Corbett Tiger Reserve.
State tourism minister Satpal Maharaj said that he is in talks with Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to bring a white tiger from Maharaja Martand Singh Judeo White Tiger Safari and Zoo located in Rewa district of the state.
Citing plans for the tiger safari park to be built in Corbett Tiger Reserve at a cost of Rs 150 crore, Maharaj said, “I have directed the tourism department officials to chalk out a plan to promote tourism for the new tiger safari park. To make it more attractive and exciting for the tourists, I am in talks with MP CM to bring a white tiger from there to the safari park.”
The tourism minister said if the department succeeds in bringing a white tiger, “the popularity of the tiger safari park would increase further.”
The wildlife experts, however, claim that the move is just a “political statement” by the tourism minister as shifting a tiger to a new habitat is a lengthy procedure and has to be justified at many levels.
Ajay Dubey, Madhya Pradesh based prominent wildlife activist said, “So far it seems that Uttarakhand’s tourism minister’s statement is just a political one.”
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“Transferring a tiger from one state to another cannot be done by mere talks between ministers. The Central Zoo Authority would be involved in it which would conduct a thorough analysis of whether the climate and environment in the new place would be favourable to the animal or not from the existing one and various other aspects. A comprehensive report is prepared by if before allowing such a move,” said Dubey.
He, however, added that shifting a white tiger won’t give a free environment to it in the new safari park.
“It is because at present they are in a closed enclosure in Rewa and in Uttarakhand too they would be in another closed enclosure. Also, there are not many white tigers in MP, which might also be a hindrance in shifting one to Uttarakhand,” said Dubey.
The tiger safari park, which would be a closed enclosure zoo, was announced a few days ago by state forest minister Harak Singh Rawat during which he had said that it would be built in the Pakhro areas of Corbett Tiger Reserve.
He had said that the safari park, “will not just focus on tourism but also spread knowledge about wildlife. It would be made in an area spread over 106 hectares which will be divided into five large enclosures.”
Rawat had informed that the state government plans to open the new tiger safari park in November next year.
