West Bengal’s first wildlife safari displaying the mega fauna of north Bengal is proposed near Siliguri in Darjeeling district, senior officials of the West Bengal Zoo Authority said on Monday. The safari, spread over 700 acres of forest land at Adalbari forest would enable a peek at carnivores such as tigers, leopards, Himalayan black bear and herbivores like rhinoceros, bison, sambhar, spotted and barking deer. Project likely to cost Rs. 200 crore “The project is likely to cost about Rs. 200 crore. A detailed project report has been submitted to the Central Zoo Authority. Work will start once we get the clearance,” B.R. Sharma, member secretary of the zoo authority said. According to Mr. Sharma, there would be separate enclosures for different animals in the ‘North Bengal Wild Animal Park’ and tourists can move around the safari in an open vehicle or on elephant back. Pressure on other parks will be eased The new place will reduce pressure on the wildlife sanctuaries and national parks in the State that are receiving a large number of tourists every year, Mr. Sharma said. The flow of tourists in the Gorumara National Park, Jaldapara National Park and Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary is exceeding their “carrying capacity.”