The long-pending African Safari project in Balasaheb Thackeray Gorewada International Zoo has now started taking shape as the Forest Development Corporation of Maharashtra (FDCM) and National Building Construction Corporation (NBCC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Tuesday in presence of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Forest Minister Ganesh Naik in Mumbai. As per the MoU, the NBCC will develop the African Safari and Entrance Gate beside the existing Gorewada Zoo on Katol Road. Under this project, NBCC will develop -- free ranging herbivorous and moated carnivors enclosures; open Savana habitat; floating islands etc.

 

“The African Safari will be divided in two phases -- SavannahHabitat and African Kop-je Walk. In Kop-je Walk, tourists can witness these African animals through walking tracks,” informed Shatnik Bhagwat, Zoo Director to The Hitavada. For this second stage of the Gorewada Zoo project, the State Government has sanctioned a fund of Rs 517.76 crore to FDCM and this project is likely to be completed till 2027, informed Bhagwat. FDCM will release a global tender soon to appoint an agency who will select and transport all these animals from African countries.

 

The agency will deliver these animals directly to the zoo. It will also take care of all the animals for 30 days of quarantine period in the zoo and after that period, the agency will handover the animals to the zoo authority, said Bhagwat. African Savannah forest will be developed in the zoo where different animals and birds like Ostrich, Hippopotamus, Impala, Gemsbok, Common Eland, Blue Wildebeest, Giraffe, Burchell’s Zebra, Kudu Spotted Hyena, White Rhinoceros, Patas Monkey, Red River Hog, African Lion, Chimpanzee, Hamadryas Baboon, and Cheetah will be kept. Similarly, in Kop-je Walk -- Ring Tailed Lemur, Vervet Monkey, Meerkat, Klipspringer, Naked Mole Rat, Serval, African Wild Dog, Barbary Sheep, Southern Ground Hornbill, Banded Mongoose, and Rock Hyrax will be the major attraction of the Zoo. After the success of Indian Safari in Gorewada Zoo, the State Government has sped up the process to construct African Safari infrastructure.

 

The African Safari will come up on 63 hectare land. For designing of the zoo, FDCM has engaged a Singapore-based consultant who has prepared a master plan for the African Safari. The introduction of African Safari is anticipated to provide a significant boost to tourism in the region. It will not only offer a new attraction for wildlife lovers but also create job opportunities for residents of nearby localities and villages. The State Cabinet, in October last year, approved a budget of Rs 517.76 crore for construction of African Safari and other works. FDCM submitted the estimate before the Cabinet which got approval within a few days. For African Safari project, the Government approved a budget of Rs 214.91 crore whereas for construction of Safari Plaza, the government approved Rs 40.76 crore. For construction of new entrance plaza and parking space at Balasaheb Thackeray Gorewada International Zoo, Rs 40.76 crore was granted by the Cabinet. In the recent approval, Government sanctioned a budget of Rs 80 crore for animal procurement. White rhinoceros, a ‘near threatened’ species, will be the major attraction of the zoo. “We will prepare the exact environment of Savannah landscape in African Safari with similar trees like babool, subabool, dates etc. at 63 ha area,” said the Bhagwat.