Odisha to re-open white tiger safari for visitors

The white tiger safari at the Nandankanan Zoological Park here, which was shut about a month ago, will be re-opened for visitors next week, an official said Saturday.

"The white tiger safari would be opened to visitors most likely from Tuesday (June 4) onwards," zoo assistant director Kamal Purohit told IANS.

The safari was closed for safety reasons after a seven-year-old Royal Bengal tiger walked into it April 29. The decision to re-open it was taken after the big cat returned to the wild late Friday.

The tiger escaped from the safari after jumping over a 18-feet-high wire fencing. It returned to the forest located outside the zoo from where it had come, Purohit said.

Although there is no threat to tourists or the people living nearby, about 10 forest officials have been engaged to spot the tiger in the forest, he added.

Nandankanan, literally meaning 'the garden of heaven', is spread over 425 hectares on the outskirts of Odisha's capital Bhubaneswar. It has over 1,200 animals and offers the first-of-its-kind white tiger safari. Spread over 12 hectares, the safari is home to about 24 tigers - eight of which are white.