Sri Lanka opens safari park for Bengal Tigers to boost wildlife tourism
Posted on February 25th, 2019
Colombo, Feb 25 (newsin.asia) – Sri Lanka’s Tourism Ministry has launched a safari park which consists of Bengal Tigers, in Hambantota, in the island’s south, in a bid to promote Sri Lanka as a safari destination, the Ceylon Today reported here Monday.
The Safari Park was opened by Minister of Tourism Development, Wildlife and Christian Religious Affairs, John Amaratunga.
The Bengal Tiger enclosure consists of nine acres and is the first zone to be opened at the Safari Park.
At present there are six Bengal Tigers in the enclosure of which three are male.
Another male Bangal Tiger will be transported to the park from the National Zoological Gardens, in Dehiwala, in capital Colombo, Additional Director, of the Safari Park in Hambantota, Hemantha Samarasekara said.
As a security measure, the enclosure has a 16 foot high wall and chain like fence. Three electric fences are connected to the chain like wall.
The enclosure has a pond for for bathing, a reservoir and artificial caves.
Samarasekara said the Safari Park was built at an estimated cost of 893,000 US dollars.
In addition to the Bengal Tigers enclosure, a herbivore zone was also opened which is four acres and includes of deer, hog deer, barking deer, mouse deer, tortoise, ducks, emu, rabbits and hares. The Herbivore Zone has a pond, shelters and sprinklers for the animals.
The Sri Lankan government recently said it aims to promote the island country as a safari destination due to its 26 national parks covering an area of 5,734 square kilometres (2,214 square miles), much of which is protected by Sri Lanka’s Department of Wildlife Conservation.
Sri Lanka’s national parks are home to majestic elephants, leopards, several species of mammals, rare species of birds, reptiles and lagoon fauna species.