Office opened for coordinating works on Biological Park at Chakkittappara

A day after administrative sanction for ₹13.94 crore was granted for the first phase of works on a Biological Park at Chakkittappara in Kozhikode district, Minister for Wildlife and Forest A.K. Saseendran opened a new office for coordinating the works on the project on Tuesday.

The Minister also laid the foundation stone for an animal hospice centre at Peruvannamuzhi for the treatment and rehabilitation of injured wild animals, which will be part of the park.

Mr. Saseendran said that the park would allow people to watch wild animals in their natural ecosystem. The park had been designed as a walkable corridor between people’s habitats and animal habitats. The project would also be developed as a research centre on forests and wildlife, he added.

An extent of 120 hectares of land has been identified at Muthukad in Peruvannamuzhi range to set up the park. The funds will be used to construct an entrance, picket station, bio resource park, vehicle parking, wash rooms, ticket counter, safari station, fern house, and orchid house. The second phase will include the construction of animal protection centres and veterinary hospitals.

A Tiger Safari Park was earlier proposed by the State government in Chakkittappara village considering the emerging tourism prospect of the area. Ignoring the protests from a section of farmers and human rights activists, the decision to establish the park was taken on September 27, 2023. Though three locations were under consideration, an eight-member panel comprising senior Forest department officials finalised Chakkittappara as the ideal spot after their field-level studies. The name was changed subsequently to ‘Biological Park’ after the National Tiger Conservation Authority raised some technical issues.