Wild sojourn

With summer vacations just round the corner,Mumbaikars are thronging the Sanjay Gandhi National Park to catch a glimpse of the wildlife at the place.

“Usually summer being vacation time is good to get the crowd and this year is no different. We have been seeing long queues at our safari ticketing counters these days,” said Dr P N Munde,conservator of forest SGNP,Borivali. The SGNP safari takes tourists on a 20-minute adventure ride into the 12-hectare lion and 20-hectare tiger enclosures. The safari is open to tourists between 9 am and 1 pm and 2.20 pm and 5.20 pm. Three lions and six tigers,which are kept in separate cubicles,are let out in the open safari areas for visitors to see. The two white tigers here are an added attraction. Shobha,the 5-year-old lioness who mauled a gatekeeper to death last month,is now allowed in the safari zone at the stipulated time. She had been confined to a cubicle for observation after the incident.

Dr Vinaya Jangale,wildlife veterinarian at the park,said,“Shobha is in perfect health and is of no threat to anyone. We have observed her behaviour for long and have decided to release her back in the safari zone.”

Munde said a few modifications have been made at the security gates to ensure the safety of tourists and employees at the park. “We have voiced our need for mechanical gates. Till that happens,we have deployed two guards to man the inner and the outer gates at both the safaris. We have also installed double fencing at different parts of the enclosure for better protection,” he said.