THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: If everything goes as per plan, the Neyyar Lion Safari park will get four lions this year, taking the number of big cats here to seven. A 10-acre island in the Neyyar dam called Marakkunnam presently houses the Lion Safari Park. It has two lionesses, Sindhu and Bindhu, and a lion called Vishal. Vishal is caged as he was constantly been injured by his aggressive female mates.
“If everything goes according to plan, we will get four more lions by Onam which will ensure that nobody misses a glimpse of the big cats. Now sometimes they go behind shrubs and visitors may have to return without being able to catch a glimpse,” a keeper said. The fenced facility is accessible by boat and has a van which, during peak times, conducts up to 40 trips into the park.
As per officials attached to the Neyyar Forest Range, the plan would be to bring lions from Junagadh Zoo, Gujarat. “We are in touch with Central Zoo Authority officials. We may need to exchange animals like Lion tailed macaque and Malabar Giant squirrel instead,” said officials. The Neyyar dam zone has just a deer and crocodile park and the rest of the animals have to be found from those which are in the custody of other ranges.
