The Department of Forests has decided to sanction 120 hectares at the Perambra Estate in Chakkittapara grama panchayat for the proposed tiger safari park. The land is part of the 1,230 hectares of the estate that were leased out to the Plantation Corporation and the tenure of which expired recently, Forest department sources said. “There will be no buffer area for the park. Instead, it will be protected by a tall compound wall,” Divisional Forest Officer Abdul Latheef told The Hindu here on Tuesday.
The idea of a tiger safari park in north Kerala was proposed in September this year. However, there had been severe protests in the upland regions of Wayanad and Kozhikode by local residents who alleged that the park would result in further curbs on farmers. They said that a 10-km buffer zone would be introduced around the park, which would further hinder their movement.
However, Forest Minister A.K. Saseendran had recently clarified that the park was being set up in an effort to bring down wild animal attacks in human habitats.
