Gurugram will get the "World's Largest Safari," with a park covering over 10,000 acres.

• Image Credit: Internet

• Sep 29, 2022 | Sourav Boruah

Digital Desk: Haryana will create the world's largest jungle
safari park in the Aravalli range, according to a statement issued by the state
government today.

Gurugram and Nuh districts will be served by the 10,000-acre
safari park. "This will be the world's largest such project," it
said.

Sharjah now has the world's largest curated safari park outside
of Africa. The Sharjah Safari will cover approximately 2,000 acres when it
opens in February 2022.

"The proposed Aravalli park would be five times larger and
would include a large herpetarium (a zoological exhibition space for reptiles
and amphibians), 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," the government stated.

According to the state government, Union Minister for Forest,
Environment, and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav and Haryana Chief Minister
Manohar Lal Khattar visited Sharjah Safari in this regard.

On Wednesday, Manohar Khattar arrived in Dubai for a one-day
visit. Mr. Khattar said upon his return to Haryana on Thursday that the NCR
region had enormous potential for the development of a jungle safari.

According to him, the Jungle Safari scheme will not only boost
tourism but also provide job opportunities for local residents.

"The Haryana Jungle Safari Project would be a joint project
of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and the Haryana
government, with the central government providing funds to Haryana under the
scheme," Mr Khattar explained.

The project has received a global Expression of Interest, and
two companies with international experience in designing and operating such
facilities have been shortlisted, according to the chief minister.

"The companies will now compete in an international design
competition to design, oversee, and operate the park, and an Aravalli
Foundation will be established to manage the project," Mr Khattar said.

The chief minister went on to say that the Central Zoo Authority
had conducted an evaluation of the area and agreed on the technical feasibility
of establishing such a park.

On the one hand, developing a jungle safari will aid in the
preservation of the Aravalli mountain range, while a large number of people
from Delhi and surrounding areas will visit for tourism, creating ample job
opportunities for local residents, he said.

"Furthermore, the Home Stay Policy will benefit
villagers in the surrounding villages," said the chief minister.

The Aravalli mountain range is home to numerous bird, wild
animal, and butterfly species.

According to a Haryana government statement, 180 species of
birds, 15 species of mammals, 29 species of aquatic animals and reptiles, and
57 species of butterflies were discovered in the Aravalli range during a survey
a few years ago.