The Haryana government is planning to build one of the world’s largest jungle safari parks in the Aravalli Mountain range of Gurugram and Nuh districts. According to an official on September 29, this project, which will cover 10,000 acres, will be the largest of its kind in the world.
The largest curated safari park outside of Africa is currently in Sharjah, which opened in February 2022 on an area of approximately 2,000 acres, he added.
The proposed Aravalli Park, according to the spokesperson, would be five times larger and would include a large serpentarium, aviary/bird park, four zones for big cats, a large area for herbivores, an area for exotic animal birds, an underwater world, nature trails, visitors, tourism zones, botanical gardens, biomes, equatorial, tropical, coastal, desert, and so on.
Bhupender Yadav, Union Minister for Forest, Environment, and Climate Change, and Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar led a delegation to Sharjah Jungle Safari. On September 28, Khattar arrived in Dubai for a one-day visit.
After coming back, Khattar said that the NCR region of Haryana has immense potential to be developed into a jungle safari. After the implementation of the Jungle Safari scheme, not only will tourism in the state get a big boost but it will also provide ample employment opportunities to the local people.
“The Jungle Safari project of Haryana would be a joint project of the ministry of environment, forest and climate change, government of India and the government of Haryana. Under a scheme, the central government will also provide funds to Haryana for this project,” said the CM. He further said that an international expression of interest was floated for the project and two companies with international experience in designing and operating such facilities have been shortlisted.
Aravali Foundation will also be established
The said companies will now compete in an international design competition for the design, oversight, and operation of the park. He also stated that an Aravali Foundation will be established to oversee the project.
It has been learned that the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) has conducted an evaluation study of the area and has agreed on the technical feasibility of establishing such a park. According to Khattar, developing Jungle Safari would help to preserve this mountain range while also attracting a large number of tourists from Delhi and surrounding areas, providing ample employment opportunities for the locals.
Furthermore, villagers in the surrounding villages will benefit from the Home Stay. The Aravalli Mountain range is a cultural heritage where many species of birds, wild animals, butterflies, etc. are found. As per a survey conducted a few years ago, 180 species of birds, 15 species of mammals, 29 species of aquatic animals and reptiles and 57 species of butterflies exist in the Aravalli Mountain range.
