West Bengal: Mamata Banerjee inaugurates safari park near Siliguri

KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee inaugurated the North Bengal Wild Animals Park, a safari park near Siliguri. The foundation stone for the same had been laid in 2014.

A Rs 250 crore-project is presently house to 15 sambar deer, 15 barking deer, 120 spotted deer (chital), one male rhino, wild boars, jungle fowl, jungle cats, and golden and silver pheasants. Ten swamp deer, one female rhino and bisons would be brought in soon. By the end of this year, the park is expected to would house about 250 herbivores and carnivores.

Spread over an area of 700 acres, the safari has animals in the open where tourists would be taken around in covered vehicles. There would also be provisions for elephant rides in the safari.

"This project is worth Rs 250 crore out of which Rs 80 crore has already been spent. The safari park is a new feather in the cap of Siliguri which is just 8 km away," said the chief minister at the inaugural programme.

For those visiting the safari park in the first month, entry would be free.