'Mowgli land' is no place for tiger safaris: Centre tells MP

Tiger

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.

Many wildlife activists have been objecting to the tiger safari in Pench and in Bandhavgarh national parks. File Pic

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.

"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 is harmful for the big cats.

Earlier, the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) had found alleged 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."

257 The number of tigers in Madhya Pradesh's six tiger reserves