12 July 2004	Monday	23 Jamadi-ul-Awwal 1425

KARACHI, July 11: Long queues of visitors, particularly children, can be seen at the start point of the recently introduced safari coaches and wheeler trains at the Safari Park.

These two new attractions have been added to the park, located in Gulistan-i-Jauhar, in the last couple of weeks, giving Karachiites, living in a concrete jungle, a first hand experience of watching nature.

The coaches tour visitors around the over 250-acre safari area where they can see more than 500 freely moving mammals of over 14 exotic and local species in 11 spacious enclosures.

Animals in the safari area include; 50 Nili Gai (blue bulls), 98 spotted deer, 73 black bucks, four water bucks, 11 llamas, 28 red deer, 68 fellow deer, 22 water fellow deer, 4 sambhar deer, 32 mouflons, two bactrian camels, three yaks, 59 gazelles, and a sika deer.

While nature-lovers get to see species from Latin America to Africa, they are however, surprised to see that local species like the Sindh Ibex and Urial, markhors are not present at park. The city government has been trying hard to get the spices from the Sindh Wildlife Department, which has so far not responded positively.

The ticket for the 45-minute around seven-kilometre-long safari tour is Rs20 for adults and Rs10 for children. Five coaches are available on weekdays, while the number is doubled on weekends to meet the growing number of visitors. The first coach starts at around 11 in the morning, and the last one at seven in the evening.

Looking at the popularity of these rides, particularly the safari coaches, some conservators feel that the animals might face stress with the increase in visitors. The park management had earlier intended to start plying air conditioned coaches so that visitors do not tease or throw anything, particularly food stuff etc at the animals, which might be harmful to them.

But the coaches currently plying on the safari route are not air conditioned, increasing the responsibility of the coach operators, who have to also ensure that visitors do not harm the wildlife through the open windows.

The park management has also not yet provided wildlife guides to accompany the coaches, to give visitors information about the animals. The second attraction of the park, the Italian wheeler train comprising two bogies pulled by an engine, has also become an instant success due to which the contractor immediately brought in another one, increasing the number of 40-seater trains to two.

The ticket for the 10- to 15-minute train ride, starting from the gate to the view point - the highest point in the park - and back is Rs10. Responding to the queries of this reporter, the in-charge of Safari Park, Dr Farid, said that to add more attractions to the park, ostriches - being provided by the Gulshan-i-Iqbal Town - would be introduced.

Besides, a fountain and a waterfall would also be inaugurated in a couple of weeks. While, it was also being planned that Mondays be reserved for families only. He said that information material and brochures about the animals in the park were being printed, and these would be given to visitors from next week so they can identify and know about the animals they were looking at, while travelling in the coaches.

Responding to Dawns queries, the chief of Zoo and Safari Park, Mansoor Qazi, said the contractor was operating the safari coaches on a 35 and 65 per cent ratio with the major share going to the operator.

He said that within 15 days - from June 15 to June 30 - the park had earned Rs90,000 in its share of 35 per cent, which proved that the ride was popular. He said that now, keeping the amount in mind, the ride would soon be auctioned. The operator would be monitored and guided by the management.

He said after the auction, the contractor would have to operate air conditioned coaches, so that visitors do not tease or harm the animals. He said that, besides providing information material, videos would also be played in the coaches to let visitors get basic information about the animals.

He added that with the introduction of rides, the park canteen, which remained closed for nearly four years, had also been auctioned for over Rs1 million.