Proposed Lion Safari Park in Rajkot gets CZA clearance

Rajkot : The Central Zoo Authority (CZA) has granted its approval for the lion safari park in the city on Friday. The CZA, responsible for overseeing all zoos in India, sanctioned the project, making it the third of its kind in Gujarat after Devaliya and Ambardi safari. With this green signal, Rajkot stands as the first municipal corporation to establish a safari park.

The decision to create the park as an extension of the zoo was made in the previous budget of the Rajkot Municipal Corporation (RMC), acquiring a total of 33 hectares of land on the east side of Pradhyuman Park zoo. Rajkot also holds significance as a conservation and breeding center for Asiatic lions. The initial project, with an estimated cost of Rs 30 crore, will be included in the upcoming financial year’s budget, and preparations for tendering have already commenced, according to zoo superintendent R K Hirpara.

The zoo currently houses 14 lions, which will be featured in the safari. Following RMC’s submission of a proposal and a detailed project report to CZA, the expert group of the zoo designing committee discussed the matter on November 6. Subsequently, the committee forwarded the proposal with its recommendation to the central government, and the Union environment ministry granted approval to CZA for the safari park. DeshGujarat