If everything goes according to plan, West Bengal will soon host the first lion safari in the state. Jyotipriya Mallick, the state's forest minister, stated that the forest department intends to follow suit in reference to this.
The Minister also mentioned that North Bengal already has a tiger safari, and that they are currently preparing to start the state's first lion safari here.
Launched in 2016, the North Bengal Wild Animals Park in Siliguri, north Bengal, now has a tiger safari with about 11 tigers and a herbivore safari. Twenty hectares are dedicated to the tiger safari.
An experienced senior official who was speaking about this noted that the lion safari's master plan had already been created. By the end of this month, he added, they will approach the Central Zoo Authority to request permission.
He continued by saying that they would approach the central zoo administration, and after receiving authorization, they would use animal exchange programmes to bring in lions from other zoos.
Currently, there are about 11 tigers on the tiger safari. The official continued by saying that a proposal for a tiger breeding and conservation facility inside the park is also being worked on, and it would be forwarded to the CZA shortly.
The forest department is also putting together plans to reintroduce one-horned rhinos to Patlakhawa in the neighbouring Cooch Behar district as well as tigers to the Buxa Tiger Reserve in the Alipurduar region of north Bengal.
