(TOURISM) Panna shining on world tourism map

Intensive efforts are underway throughout the world as well as India to save forests and wildlife from extinction. It is due to these efforts that the process of depletion of tiger and leopard (Tendua) has been stemmed and next generations would be able to see these rare animals. On the initiative of the Madhya Pradesh and Union governments, all out efforts are also being undertaken in Panna Tiger Reserve under the direction of park director G Krishnamurthy. Efforts are under foot to shift the people living in the protected forest areas to elsewhere with a view to saving wildlife. This effort of Panna Tiger Reserve would prove to be a milestone in saving the wildlife.

Panna Tiger Reserve's assistant director VK Nagriya says that in the 18th century tiger and leopard were found in large number among the carnivores on the earth. Due to poaching and hunting, which started from the year 1870, the number of these big cat species started to dwindle. Clearance of forests for agricultural purposes also posed a great danger to these species. At one time it was feared that the saving forests and wildlife would become a stupendous task.

Experts feel that bio-diversity is fast ending in the protected areas since these are surrounded by agricultural lands. Nagriya said that it is necessary for a lot of wild animals to move from one area to another for survival. Otherwise, the danger of their extinction loom large. Due to rapid urbanisation those places where animals can move to from their existing habitat have dwindled. With a view to averting this danger, people living in the protected areas are being shifted to non-protected areas.

Many reserve projects have also been started in the same direction. In 1981 Panna National Park came into existence. Later in 1994, the park was converted in Project Tiger Reserve with a view to conserving tigers. This is the fifth Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh and 22nd in the country. Panna Tiger Reserve has a prominent place among the five tiger reserves in the state. With a view to lessen the biological pressure, the work of shifting villages from reserved areas has been started. This work has yielded good results and increase in the number of wildlife has been registered.

Now the Panna Tiger Reserve is shining on the world tourism map and tourists from all over the world are thronging it to have a glimpse of rare animals. At present about 10 thousand visitors from all over the country and 5 to 6 thousand foreign tourists are visiting the Panna Tiger Reserve which is spread in 542,67 square kilometre area. The wildlife in the Panna Tiger Reserve include tiger, leopard, wild cat, brown spotted cat, Lakadbaghgha, wild dog (Sone Kutta), wolf, jackal, bear, Sanbhar, spotted deer, Chinkara, blue buck, Chausinga, Syahgosh (a cousin of Asian Cheeta which has now become extinct), wild boar, Langur, Goh, python cobra and crocodiles.

Courtesy: www.centralchronicle.com