Sambalpur: Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan laid foundation stone for a tiger enclosure in Odisha’s Sambalpur Zoo on Monday.
He placed the the first brick for a state-of-the-art 1,500 sq metre tiger enclosure will be developed in the zoo and Conservation Centre at Motijharan, which is set to welcome four Royal Bengal Tigers for the first time. The Central Zoo Authority, under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, has granted approval for the proposal, clearing the path for these majestic big cats to become the zoo’s latest attraction.
In addition to tigers, the zoo will also introduce mugger and gharial crocodile species, for which a dedicated enclosure will be constructed.
The project is aimed at boosting wildlife conservation and tourism in the district.
It was in July 2023 that the then BJD government renamed the zoo at Motijharan here, established in 1980, as “Sambalpur Zoo & Rescue Centre”. The zoo is spr
ead over an area of about 35 acres.
In May this year, Dharmendra had announced plans to develop Sambalpur Zoo as Odisha’s second Nandankanan Zoological Park with joint efforts from the central and the state governments. He had also met Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav and urged his intervention for expansion of the zoo and declaration of Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary as a tiger reserve.
The zoo already has several exclusive attractions, including the state’s only glass-walled leopard enclosure, which allows visitors to observe these animals up close, as well as a dedicated nocturnal house that reveals the behaviour of creatures active at night .Additionally, the zoo boasts an open-air orchidarium showcasing 100 different orchid species.