Dulahazara Safari Park limping even after passage of five years of its establishment

Samir Barua BDNEWS Staff Writer Chittagong, Oct 7 (BDNEWS) - Dulahazara Safari Park, the first of its kind in the country, is limping in its own usual way as it is yet to be elevated into a full–fledged one even after passage of nearly five years of its establishment. The park which sprawls over 1,100 hectares of vast picturesque forest land with basic objective to conserve bio-diversity, extend eco-tourism, recreation and research facilities, is yet to instil its grandeur as no comprehensive scheme was hitherto undertaken for its refurbishment. The park remained almost uncared although the government has undertaken the project with a view to conserving the nature and bio-diversity as well as preservation of near-extinct and rare wild animals from home and abroad. Park officials, however, admitted that development works are affected for dearth of fund and a number of visitors declined in the recent times. Bahadur Ali Kalam, in-charge of the park, said that nearly 1,000 visitors from far-flung areas of the country throng the park on an average per day, but most of the money that comes from visitors fee are inadequate for providing fuels and maintenance of the two protected mini buses that facilitate visitors to go round inside the park. "We have placed a budget for its refurbishment works but the government has advised for modification of the budget and thus the new plan was stalled," said an official linked with the project. But huge income that poured from the lease management of the park has raised allegation of misappropriation of fund and thus it make no contribution to its development works, neighbours alleged. "It is not enough eye-catching for the visitors and wildlife lovers which is yet to be developed as fairly different from that of zoo," observed a number of visitors. "We are really got disappointed to visit the park and I think its a large scale zoo but not safari park in true sense," Arman Kabir Sumon, a second year student of Chittagong Government Veterinary University, told BDNEWS immediately after visiting the park. He said the animals, mostly near-extinct and uncommon, which are supposed to roam freely in the forest friendly environment in the safari park are hardly seen. The safari park, which made its journey in 2000, is now endowed with nearly 170 different species of rare animals, including mammals, reptiles, amphibians, birds, shrubs, tall, medium and small trees, grasses, climbers, epiphytes, orchids, bamboos, canes and natural lakes. Located along side Chittagong–Coxsbazar highway and five km ahead of Chakoria municipality headquarters, the park got facelift with one observation tower, natural interpretation centre, display map, elephant riding, lion and tiger enclosure, natural history museum, rest house, dormitories four public toilets after completion of only first phase development works, said Bahadur Ali Kalam. The natural history museum, focal point of attraction to the visitors; especially to the teachers and students for their education and research with objective to preserve remains, specimen and stuffing of nearly 2000 animals and herbarium of other 300 plants is yet to be developed as a full-fledged one for scarcity of fund. "We have taken up a project at a cost of about Tk 20 crore for its refurbishment, including enrichment of natural history museum, development of exclusive zone for Asian and African wild animals and installation of computerised data bank," Dr Tapan Kumer Dey, Project Director of the park told BDNEWS. Dr Dey hoped that successful implementation of the second phase development works will open up a new avenue of attraction to the visitors. "Development of exclusive Asian and African animal zones will help enrich the safari park and the visitors, particularly learners and researchers from the computerized data bank will be capable of keeping abreast the knowledge of wild animal and plants," the project director added. BDNEWS/1631 hrs