Simbalwara National Park to be renamed after Sher Jung

Simbalwara National Park in Himachal Pradesh will be renamed as Sher Jung National Park, an official said here Thursday.

A decision to rename the park in Sirmaur district's Paonta Sahib area was taken at a meeting of the state board for wildlife chaired by Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh.

Sher Jung, who hailed from Nahan, was a freedom fighter and hunter-turned-conservationist.

The chief minister has directed the state wildlife wing to explore possibilities to develop the Simbalwara park, bordering Uttarakhand, as a tiger and elephant reserve, a government spokesperson told IANS.

He said Virbhadra Singh also suggested developing a butterfly garden in the park.

The state has five national parks and 26 wildlife sanctuaries.

Forest Minister Thakur Singh Bharmouri said a brown bear conservation project and the second phase of conservation breeding of the western tragopan would be started shortly in Chamba district.