The Department of Forests has decided to sanction 120 hectares at the Perambra Estate in Chakkittapara grama panchayat for the proposed tiger safari park. The land is part of the 1,230 hectares of the estate that were leased out to the Plantation Corporation and the tenure of which expired recently, Forest department sources said. “There will be no buffer area for the park. Instead, it will be protected by a tall compound wall,” Divisional Forest Officer Abdul Latheef told The Hindu here on Tuesday.
The idea of a tiger safari park in north Kerala was proposed in September this year. However, there had been severe protests in the upland regions of Wayanad and Kozhikode by local residents who alleged that the park would result in further curbs on farmers. They said that a 10-km buffer zone would be introduced around the park, which would further hinder their movement.
However, Forest Minister A.K. Saseendran had recently clarified that the park was being set up in an effort to bring down wild animal attacks in human habitats.
A committee headed by the Chief Forest Conservator (North) had been deputed to identify the appropriate location for the park in Kozhikode or Kannur district. The committee had shortlisted two locations within the Peruvannamuzhi forest range and zeroed in on Perambra Estate as it was quite far away from residential areas, had good water supply, and geographically appropriate for wild animals.
The park project will be finalised once the National Tiger Reserve Conservation Authority approves it. It is being set up on the lines of the Lion Safari Park in Thiruvananthapuram, and tourists can travel in protected vehicles to watch animals in the park. The project is expected to give a boost to tourism in north Kerala.