Vasundhra Raje to ‘gift’ leopard safari to wildlife enthusiasts

JAIPUR: Leopard safari at Jhalana, which has hogged limelight on the international circuit of wildlife lovers, will be inaugurated by chief minister Vasundhra Raje. The project has been developed under the state government’s ambitious Project Leopard, a first in the country. The wildlife safari, which was a pending proposal during the Congress government, is said to be incumbent Raje’s gift to wildlife lovers.

The forests, spread over just 24 sq. kms on the east of Jaipur, house a healthy population of nearly 18 leopards that are visible to the tourists from a distance of mere 10-20 feet. After forest department constructed an attractive entry and several other facilities, the inaugural ceremony would be conducted.

Among the plethora of measures to upgrade facilities at Jhalana, the department introduced amenities like restaurants and air-conditioned waiting rooms for the visitors. An interpretation centre has been set up where all the information and details of the Jhalana safari and wildlife species will be provided in form of presentations, videos, images and posters. For the wildlife lovers, a shop will be opened where people will be able to buy books, paintings, T-shirts and other forest-related items. A large parking place is built to accommodate more vehicles.

In a bid to boost leopard conservation in the state, the forest department has also installed camera traps in Jhalana and Amagarh forest reserves to assess their population.