A NEW HOME FOR THE LIONS

Wildlife tourism in Gujarat is getting a boost with the announcement of W one more wildlife safari park in the coastal village of Naliya-Mandvi in Una taluka of Gir Somnath district, about 50 km southeast of the Gir Wildlife Sanctuary.

- Jumana Shah

Una is close to the Union territory of Diu, a popular tourist area. A few prides of lions-out of a total population of over 674-have made the forested and semi-forested areas of Una their home. The latest decision of the state government to attract more tourists to the region is in line with its vision of helping villagers in the area derive some economic benefit from a burgeoning population of lions. All this comes in the unsalutary backdrop of rising man-animal conflict, as increase in human population, industrialisation and urbanisation in the Saurashtra peninsula have outpaced the increase in lion numbers.

The wildlife park in Una will be spread over approximately 475 hectares. This is the third safari park in the region the first two being the Sasan Gir Park and the Ambardi Wildlife Park in Amreli. The most popular one, Sasan Park, permits 180-190 tourist taxis within its boundary a day, while the new park in Una will allow 50-60 taxis. "This will reduce the load on Sasan. The Central Zoo Authority's approval is awaited, following which the park could be ready for tourists by 2026," says Gujarat's chief wildlife warden, Nityanand Srivastava.