Referring to Madhya Pradesh as the ‘Tiger State’ of India with a tiger population of nearly 785, Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav said on Monday that the work of conservation of wild animals requires utmost hard work and effort and he urged all people to pledge to work unitedly to secure the future of tigers in the forests and maintain the natural balance.
Dr Mohan Yadav said at a function here on the occasion of ‘International Tiger Day’ today that the State Forest Department and all the people engaged in the protection of wild animals deserve congratulations. Sensitive efforts are required for the conservation of tigers, which could be realised only with the cooperation of the Forest Department and better management in the national parks of the state has increased the safety of wild animals and there have also been continuous improvements in the management of tigers.
Dr Yadav said the state is fortunate enough to have the maximum number of tigers in the country. He also pointed out that Bhopal is the only state capital in the country where tigers roam freely around its municipal limits.
The CM said it is also a matter of pride that the Cheetah project is also active in the state, whereas Cheetah is not found anywhere in the whole of Asia.
“Keeping in view the balance of the ecosystem, the state government will continue to encourage the coexistence of different wild animals in different areas of the state. New tiger reserves will be developed in the areas of the state where there are no tigers,” he added.
Dr Yadav said that while the Cheetah Project is already successfully in progress at Kuno in the state, activities are also going on to settle the cheetahs in the Gandhi Sagar area.
He said due to the conservation of wild animals and better management of the Tiger Reserves, the number of tourists is also increasing continuously.
The CM informed that there are seven tiger reserves present in the state while forests generate annual revenue of about Rs 60 crore and more than 25 lakh tourists visit Madhya Pradesh every year.