Central Zoo Authority instructs MP government to stop tiger safaris in 'Mowgli land'

Central Zoo Authority (CZA) has asked Madhya Pradesh forest department to stop tiger safari in the state's Pench National Park citing alleged violation of wildlife norms.

|May 30, 2016, 18:58:55 IST

New Delhi: Central Zoo Authority (CZA) has asked Madhya Pradesh forest department to stop tiger safari in the state's Pench National Park citing alleged violation of wildlife norms. Pench national Park is famous as home to 'Mowgli'-- the protagonist of Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book. In a letter to the State's Chief Wildlife Warden, the CZA said that no safari shall be established without its prior approval.[caption id="attachment_2806900" align="alignleft" width="380"] Representational image. AFP[/caption]"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. The move assumes significance as many 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.Earlier, the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) had allegedly found violation of laws in construction of tiger safaris in these two national parks. The NTCA, a statutory body under the Ministry of Environment and Forests, had 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".The Madhya Pradesh forest department has failed to take "prior approval" from the CZA before construction of tiger safari in Pench and Bandhavgarh. "It is a welcome decision by the CZA. We want the state government to immediately stop construction works inside the tiger reserve," claimed wildlife activist Ajay Dubey. There are six tiger reserves in Madhya Pradesh--Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Panna, Bori-Satpura, Sanjay-Dubri and Pench-- which have at least 257 big cats. While 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.

China has dominated Myanmar’s rare earth mines — now India eyes deal to harness country’s critical minerals

India is deepening rare earth cooperation with Myanmar as New Delhi seeks alternative sources of critical minerals dominated by China, including dysprosium and terbium used in EVs, defence systems and clean energy technologies

6 min read

CJP protest in Delhi: New videos of stone pelting, violence emerge as police, agitators trade charges

Fresh videos of violence that broke out during the Cockroach Janta Party's (CJP) protest in Delhi have surfaced, with the police releasing footage showing alleged stone pelting, vandalism and attacks on security personnel

3 min read

'From make in India to launch from India': Skyroot COO on why Vikram-1 could change India’s space sector

Skyroot Aerospace’s successful Vikram-1 mission marks a major milestone for India’s private space sector, as the country seeks to shift from “Make in India” to “Launch from India” and compete in the global commercial satellite launch market

8 min read

Choke terror funding, keep international shipping lanes safe: Jaishankar at Asean Regional Forum

Jaishankar's remarks came against the backdrop of recent terror attacks targeting India and growing threats to commercial shipping amid conflicts in West Asia and Europe

2 min read

PM Modi announces fast-track courts for paper leak cases; CJP responds ‘Dharmendra Pradhan must go’

Amid protests demanding accountability for the leak of medical entrance test Neet and other irregularities in the education system, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced that the government has decided to set up fast-track courts to ensure swift and stringent punishment for those involved in paper leaks.