Go green! More trees to be planted in lion safari premises

Kanpur: In the ongoing monsoon season, the authorities have planned to plant more fast growing trees in and around the lion safari premises which, besides giving shade and providing fodder, will also give some relief to the wild animals, particularly during summers.
The constant rise in temperature in summers is a cause of worry for the safari authorities.Around two lakh saplings had already been planted in nearly 350 hectares of land in and around the safari premises, but according to safari sources, due to weak monsoon in recent years, majority of plants could not survive and if they somehow survived, they are too small to provide shade.
However, with temperature rising constantly in summers, the safari officials, who are in charge for the upkeep of lions, besides other future projects including leopards, bears, deer and antelope safaris, have observed that as far as plantation of trees is concerned, still there is much needed to be done.
"Monsoon is believed to be the best time for planting trees. To make the place feasible for the big cats and other wild animals like leopards, bears, deer and antelope, more number of trees that grow fast will be planted near their enclosures, and in various other important zones of the safari," informed director, lion safari Sanjay Srivastava. Saplings of different species including peepal, banyan, pakar, saal, gulmohar, mahogany, sheesham, mango, jamun (black plum) and ardu will be sown at major portion of the land in and around the safari, Srivastava added.
"Hopefully, these saplings will grow big if the season witnesses good rain," said another senior forest department official, adding that wild animals usually rest under trees. "We are now planning to plant more trees that can grow fast, cast shade and provide fodder to animals in and around the lion safari."