Gujarat, known as country’s only home to Asian lion, will soon have an ambush of tigers boosting its pride. The last time a tiger was spotted in Gujarat was way back in 1985. Now, over three decades later, Gujarat government is planning to introduce its first tiger safari park in Dang.
Gujarat is said to be the only western state where tigers do not exist. The state is expected to have eight zoo-bred tigers, including four cubs, as the authorities plan the safari park.
In fact, the original plan was to build a leopard safari park in Dang, but the authorities changed their minds and decided to build a Tiger safari park instead.
“We are at the initial stage of the plan. We will bring zoo-bred animals to the tiger safari park along the lines of the lion safari park in Devaliya,” said Chief conservator of forest, Maniswara Raja.
The authorities intend to have two sets of a tiger, a tigress, and her cubs, according to the report. ouThey will be brought through the animal exchange programme. Tourists will be permitted to take excursions in open jeeps.
There were tigers in Gujarat until the early 1980s, mostly in the forests of Dang, Narmada, and Sabarkantha districts.
In 1985, the last tiger died in a road accident in Dang. After that, no tiger was seen in the state. Locals frequently confuse hyenas with tigers, which leads them to believe that tigers exist in Gujarat forests.
Notably, Gujarat has a sizable lion population, which is a major tourist attraction.
According to the most recent census in 2015, there are approximately 650 lions in the forests of Gir Somnath, Amreli, and Bhavnagar districts in the Saurashtra region of the state.