Ranthambore national park and Sariska to remain open for tiger safari during monsoon
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Ranthambore National Park
Jaipur: In a controversial decision, the wildlife department of Rajasthan has announced that the world famous Ranthambore National Park will remain open for tourists even during the monsoon season.
The park is closed for three months as the monsoon season is the mating season for wild animals, particularly tigers. But about five tourist zones of the park – from Zone No 5 to Zone No 10 will remain open for tiger safari this season. The park will be open for tourists for the second consecutive year.
Jaipur: In a controversial decision, the wildlife department of Rajasthan has announced that the world famous Ranthambore National Park will remain open for tourists even during the monsoon season. The park is closed for three months as the monsoon season is the mating period for wild animals, particularly tigers. But about five tourist zones of the park – from Zone No 5 to Zone No 10 will remain open for tiger safari this season. The park will be open for tourists for the second consecutive year.
Many wildlife activists believe that the forest department is violating NTCA (National Tiger Conservation Authority) guidelines by allowing tiger safari during monsoon. They allege that the department is violating the guidelines to protect vested interest of hotelier and tourism industry lobbies.
The administration had earlier decided to throw all zones of Ranthambore park open for tourists, but the decision was withdrawn when the department faced criticism from the wildlife activists.
All the five zones where tourists will be taken on a tiger safari are in critical tiger habitat areas of the park.
Similarly, some parts of Sariska tiger reserve in Alwar will also remain open for tourists. They include Kali Ghati, Pandupol, Bala Kila and Tehla.
A senior forest department officer argued that allowing tourists into tiger parks during monsoon is a good move for the safety of the tigers. “Tourist activities help us maintain monitoring,” he said.
