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Centre asks MP govt to stop Tiger Safari at Pench national Park that inspired 'The Jungle Book'

NTCA Has Also Written To The State Government Saying The Ongoing Construction Of Tiger Safari Inside Pench ‘is Detrimental To Tiger Dispersal’ And ‘exposes Them To Poaching’.

News Nation Bureau | Edited By : Hina Khan | Updated on: 01 Jun 2016, 05:53:05 PM
Centre directs MP govt to stop tiger safari in the Mowgli land

New Delhi :

Diminishing tiger population has been a major concern for the entire country. Various reasons are attributed to the lessening number of tigers in India. Considering the major concern of the tiger population in the country, Central Zoo Authority (CZA), citing violation of wildlife norms has asked Madhya Pradesh forest department to stop tiger safari in the state's Pench National Park.

This Pench national Park is famous as the home to Mowgli—the protagonist of Rudyard Kipling's 'The Jungle Book. In a letter CZA has raised its concern to the state wildlife authorities. "As per records of the CZA, no approval has been granted for creation of safari at Pench tiger reserve or Bandhavgarh tiger reserve. Therefore, no construction work should be carried out," the communique said.

Before this, any wildlife activists have been objecting to the creation of tiger safari in Pench and in Bandhavgarh national parks claiming it harmful for the big cats.

The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), a statutory body under the Ministry of Environment and Forests, has also found alleged violation of laws in construction of tiger safaris in these two national parks.

NTCA has also written to  the state government saying the ongoing construction of tiger safari inside Pench ‘is detrimental to tiger dispersal’ and ‘exposes them to poaching’.

There are six tiger reserves in Madhya Pradesh--Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Panna, Bori-Satpura, Sanjay-Dubri and Pench which have at least 257 big cats.

The tiger population in the country was estimated at 1,706 in 2010, it rose to 2,226 in 2014. Madhya Pradesh ranks third--after Karnataka and Uttarakhand--in tiger population in the country.

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First Published : 31 May 2016, 12:51:00 PM

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