RANCHI: Elated with increasing number of tigers in Palamu Tiger Reserve (PTR), Jharkhand government has started taking initiatives to open the state’s first tiger safari on the lines of Rajgir in Bihar. According to officials, the survey has already been completed and required land has been identified in the forests of Putuagarh under PTR’s Barwadih Western Forest Range.
A tiger safari typically involves driving through protected areas such as national parks and tiger reserves to spot tigers. The officials also informed that after getting a formal nod from state government, the proposal will be sent to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and Central Zoo Authority (CZA) for approval.
“The tourism minister expressed his desire to open a tiger safari in Jharkhand on the lines of Rajgir in Bihar. We have identified the required land near PTR in the forests of Putuagarh near PTR which has been Okayed by the minister,” said PTR Deputy Director Prajesh Kant Jena.
As per official records, six tigers have been spotted wandering in the PTR and their number is supposed to increase further in the wake of the measures taken by the officials to improve the tiger count.
PTR being number one in terms of habitat, all efforts are being made to retain these tigers in Jharkhand as the ground work has already been done by improving the pray base in PTR, said officials. Four soft release camps have also been set up in PTR where Cheetal will be shifted to increase the pray base for tiger, they said.
The Palamu Tiger Reserve, which is spread over an area of about 1,230 sq km, was made a tiger reserve in 1973 and had a good number of tigers, which came down to three in the 2014 census and zero in the latest report. But now, once again the tiger count has started increasing in PTR and their count has risen to six in the last few years.