Rajgir Zoo Safari
The Rajgir Zoo Safari or Rajgir Wildlife Safari is a safari park located in Rajgir, Bihar, India, was opened on 20 February 2022.[1][2]
| Date opened | 20 February 2022 |
|---|---|
| Location | Rajgir, Nalanda district, Bihar, India |
| Land area | 191.12 hectares (472.26 acres) |
| Owner | Forest Department, Government of Bihar |
| Public transit access | Rajgir railway station, Gaya International Airport, Jay Prakash Narayan Airport (Patna) |
The zoo safari has been developed by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change at a cost of nearly ₹177 crore (US$23 million). The zoo is spread over 191 hectares (470 acres) and has five zones to accommodate over 250 herbivores and carnivores.[3] Also in the park is an aviary, a butterfly park, an interpretation centre, an orientation gallery, an amphitheater, and a management section. Chief Minister of Bihar, Nitish kumar, laid foundation stone on 17 January 2017. The animals at Rajgir Zoo Safari are not in cages but have the ability to roam free over a forest area. Visitors are allowed to watch animals from a secured environment-friendly vehicle.
Location
The zoo is located in the Nalanda district, around 85 km southeast of Patna.[4] It is located between the Vaibhgiri and Songiri mountain on forested land. It is about half a kilometre from the Rajgir-Gaya road which is adjacent to the Pant Wildlife Sanctuary at the foothills of the Jethian hill.
Features
The zoo has a fence for keeping the fawns, cubs, and sick animals safe, feeding areas for both the herbivores and carnivores, and another fence to rule out any possibility of the safari animals escaping to the adjoining forest areas. There are also ponds of water for the safari animals to drink from and a security arrangement with watch towers.
Attractions
It would be carved out of the existing forest area and would be divided into five broad zones one each for lion, tiger, leopard, bear, herbivores, aviary zone for birds and a small butterfly park and a microtelescope will be install on Vaibhgiri mountain to watch sky view of Zoo Safari.
Facilities
The tourists will begin witness greenery from the entrance gate itself. The Safari will have special arrangement for kids and elderly people. There will be waterfalls all around to increase the treat to the eyes. It will have cycling track, shooting range, mobile cafeteria, an interpretation centre, an orientation centre. It will have also solar powered armoured buses to take the visitors inside the safari area and comfortable shades and bamboo hut for tourists stay. Many exciting things will be available on the hills including climbing the rock, people will go from one side to the other side with the help of the rope in some area the butterfly area and a park theme will be prepared in a manner-oriented in it. It will have all facilities of tourists for professional and amateur wildlife photography.
References
- Pathak, Shubh Narayan (19 February 2022). "राजगीर में खुल गया उत्तर भारत का पहला जू-सफारी; बाघ, शेर, भालू, तेंदुआ और हिरण भी दिखेंगे यहां". Jagran Prakashan.
- Nadim, Farrukh (17 February 2022). "Bihar CM Nitish Kumar opens Rajgir zoo safari, thanks PM Modi for lions from Gujarat". The Times of India. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
- Sopam, Reena (2022-02-16). "Rajgir zoo safari opens for public, Nitish says one of its kind in eastern India". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
- Verma, Sanjeev Kumar (February 27, 2019). "Bihar to get its first nature safari". The Telegraph (Kolkata). Retrieved July 24, 2019.