By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun, 25 Nov: Forest Minister Subodh Uniyal inaugurated the Tiger enclosure at Dehradun Zoo, Malsi, today as the Chief Guest. The inauguration ceremony included worship rituals. The tigers have been kept in a large enclosure to enable their sightings by visitors. MLA Ramnagar Diwan Singh Bisht, MLA Salt Mahesh Jeena, and other dignitaries were present.
Along with this, Uniyal also chaired a meeting related to the preliminary outline determination for hosting the 10th annual forest sports event of the Tiger Conservation Foundation for CTR in the year 2025.
Subodh Uniyal formally opened the tiger enclosure for tourists to see. The enclosure was inaugurated only after obtaining permission from the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) on 8 November this month. Uniyal shared that the tiger enclosure has been constructed as per the rules and standards after getting permission from CZA. The tiger enclosure has been built in the safari area spread over 20 hectares of Dehradun Zoo. Currently, two male tigers have been kept in this enclosure, which were earlier staying at the Dhela Rescue Center of Corbett Tiger Reserve after being rescued from different places in the state.
It may be recalled that these two male tigers were brought to Dehradun on 26 February this year, but the formal approval of the Central Zoo Authority was awaited before they could be put up for display to visitors. The first tiger is about 6 years and 9 months old, and the second tiger is about 4 years and 9 months old.
It may be recalled that Uttarakhand occupies the third place in the country in terms of having the number of tigers in its forests. Opening the tiger enclosure for tourists at Dehradun Zoo is a commendable step towards wildlife conservation and public awareness. A large number of tourists from different states visit Uttarakhand. After the inauguration of the tiger enclosure in Dehradun Zoo, these tourists will now be able to observe tigers along with other wildlife in Dehradun city, which will increase the income of Dehradun Zoo and the state.
Principal Secretary Forest and Environment, Uttarakhand Government, RK Sudhanshu, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF) and HoFF Uttarakhand Dr Dhananjay Mohan, PCCF (Wildlife) / Chief Wildlife Warden, Uttarakhand Ranjan Kumar Mishra, PCCF BP Gupta, Additional PCCF Chief Forest Conservator (Wildlife), Uttarakhand Vivek Pandey, Additional Chief Forest Conservator (Project) Kapil Lal, Additional Chief Forest Conservator, Garhwal Naresh Kumar, Additional Chief Forest Conservator Nishant Verma, Chief Forest Conservator Manoj Chandran, Chief Forest Conservator Sushant Patnaik, Chief Forest Conservator Forest Panchayat Dr. Parag Madhukar Dhakate, Chief Forest Conservator Eco Tourism PK Patro, Director Corbett Tiger Reserve Saket Badola, Forest Conservator Shivalik Circle Rajiv Dhiman, Forest Conservator Yamuna Mrs. Kahkashan Naseem, Director Rajaji Dr. Coco Rose, and others were present at the programme. At the end of the programme, Director Dehradun Zoo and Divisional Forest Officer, Dehradun Neeraj Kumar thanked all the dignitaries.
