Tyavarekoppa safari to be made a model

SHIMOGA: Efforts are on to make the Lion and Tiger Safari at Tyavarekoppa one of the model safaris in the state, said MP BY Raghavendra.After inaugurating the cages for lions, tigers and cheetah and a Travellers Bungalow at a cost of Rs 3 crore at the Lion and Tiger Safari at Tyavarekoppa on Friday, he said as Shimoga district has vast potential for tourism, steps have been taken for its over-all development.The state government has sanctioned an action plan to provide drinking water facility to all the villages coming on either side of the road leading to Tyavarekoppa from Shimoga. The project is estimated to cost Rs 60 crore and the work would be taken up, he said.Karnataka Zoo Authority chairman Nanjundaswamy said that there was a proposal to construct cages for birds, peacocks and snakes by spending Rs 43 lakh. He said that the Central Zoo Authority had released a grant of `1.6 crore for the development of Lion Safari.Presently, Tyavarekoppa Lion and Tiger Safari has 12 tigers and six lions and it would soon get another lion from the Bannerghatta National Park in Bangalore.