Guwahati: The first zoo cum safari in the Northeast would be constructed up in Cachar and Tingkhong, both inside the Dibrugarh constituency. Both zoos will act as centres for animal rescue.
According to Cachar DFO Tezas Mariswami, the idea for the safari includes using the zoo at Cachar as a breeding facility as well.
“It will also help boost tourism and increase livelihood through tourism in the region,” Mariswami said.
Such a zoo and wildlife safari is one of the attractions at the Nandankanan Zoological Park in Bhubaneswar, Odisha which has helped the local economy and tourism.
The Cachar Zoo and Safari will be situated on 180 acres of land, 30 kilometres from Silchar. It will cost Rs. 214.54 crore to set it up. The construction tendering procedure will shortly begin following completion of the project’s detailed project report (DPR).
According to Dibrugarh DFO Sandeep Bendi, the Dibrugarh wildlife safari and rescue facility in Tingkhong is now in the planning stages. It would be situated on 150 hectares of Namdang Reserve Forest. The setup will cost the state government about 250 crore.
Rescue centres are becoming essential due to the influx of wild animals into human areas from the wild. Environmentalists remarked that the shrinking habitats of wild animals, caused by the rise in human population, are one of the reasons they emerge from the wild. There have occasionally been more human-animal conflicts, which has led to casualties on both sides. Animals, it appears, are the ones most impacted by the fights.
While speaking with this reporter, Bendi said that the Dibrugarh wildlife safari and animal rescue centre will meet the demands of animals in the entire Upper Assam region in terms of rescue and veterinary care.
“It will also cater to the need of districts of Arunachal Pradesh,” he said
“Many animals like leopard, birds and snakes are rescued from many areas in Upper Assam. Tea garden areas sometimes become habitats of these animals. Till now we are getting help of Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation. As soon as the Dibrugarh wildlife Safari and rescue centre opens it will become hub of all kind of activities. Till now the rescued animals are taken to Guwahati or Kaziranga. So a rescue centre in Dibrugarh will help forest officials to save time and life of these animals,” Bendi further said.