Jayaprakash Narayan Smrithivanam and Deer Park located beside National Highway-47 at the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border close to inter-state Walayar check posts will be converted as a Safari Park as per the guidelines issued by Zoo Authority of India.
The Park spread over 110 acres of forest area mainly of Teak plantation started in 1997 got recognition from the Zoo Authority recently with conditions to convert it as a Safari Park providing more amenities for the Deer and other animals and also to the visitors.
The Park located 22 kms from Palakkad town could be developed as a tourist centre as one can see Deers and other small animals roam about in their natural habitat.
There could also be facilities made for elephant Safari in the park to make it a major attraction for visitors.
Walayar Dam is also nearby that attracts large number of tourists from Tamil Nadu.
The Park now houses 47 Deer and 10 Stag apart from small animals. Walayar is also the gateway to Kerala and the main centre for movement of goods to the State.
Since Walayar is a gateway it is also the main entry point to the main tourists centres of the District like Malampuzha, Kanjirapuzha, Nelliampathy, Silent Valley, Mangalam Dam etc.
Palakkad Divisional Forest Officer M. Sreedharan Nair has said that when the Zoo Authority of India gave recognition to Deer Park it has stipulated certain conditions like reducing the area of animal movement and converting part of it for fodder cultivation.
It also wanted to remove some of the teak trees under the thinning scheme to provide open space for growing fodder and other food plants for the animals.
So the Forest Department has taken up the thinning of teak trees and shade regulations in the Park. It has also started growing fodder, he said.
The compound wall and the fencing will be strengthened to prevent attack from wild elephants and leopard in the area that had occurred on a number of times earlier, the DFO said.
He said that the long term plan is to convert the Deer Park as a Safari Park with more facilities for the animals and the visitors.
