Supreme Court Clears India’s First Night Safari at Kukrail Reserve Forest

Key facts

• The Rs 1,510-crore Kukrail Night Safari and Day Zoo project, spanning 855 acres within the 2,027-hectare Kukrail Reserve Forest in Lucknow, received Supreme Court approval.
• The project will be India's first night safari and the world's fifth, after similar facilities in Singapore, Thailand, China, and Indonesia.
• Phase I includes a Night Safari and Eco-tourism Zone, while Phase II will add a Day Zoo, with visitors travelling in battery-operated vehicles along theme-based trails.
• A special lighting system designed to mimic natural moonlight will allow visitors to observe nocturnal animals without disturbing them.
• The night safari will feature naturalistic habitats for species including Asiatic lions, Bengal tigers, leopards, hyenas, flying squirrels, and gharials.
• The Kukrail Reserve Forest also hosts India's first gharial conservation centre, established in 1975, which has bred and released gharials into rivers across the country.
• The facility is expected to manage a daily footfall of about 4,000 visitors on weekdays and 8,000 on weekends or holidays.