NEWSLINK: Bhopal Van Vihar visitors warned not to go near dangerous animals

Taking lessons from the ghastly incident where a youth was mauled to death by a white tiger in Delhi zoo in September last year, the Van Vihar National Park authorities in Bhopal have come up with witty warnings to deter visitors from venturing too close to the enclosures of big cats.

Warnings like ‘Only those who strongly believe in rebirth should risk going near’ and ‘please do not cross the barrier… dangerous animals do unexpected and dangerous things…think about it’ have been put on the barbed wire fences around the enclosures of the big cats.

“At Van Vihar National Park, barbed wire fences and wet trench are all that separate visitors from the wild animals. It is very easy for visitors to jump over the barricade, if he/she wants,” director Van Vihar National Park BPS Parihar told Hindustan Times.

“We have put up warnings to encourage people to think that it could be life-threatening if they venture too close to the wild animals like tigers…We don’t want any incident like the one that happened in Delhi zoo.”

Talking about the idea behind tweaking the warning messages, Parihar said: “We have put up funny signboards as they make people remember the message for a long time and talk about it with their friends and relatives. Some visitors even take photos with such funny signboards.”

Besides, the Van Vihar management has also deployed security guards along the five-km road inside the park, who are tasked to keep a track on the activities of the visitors.

The levity and humour behind the warning signage found appreciation from the visitors to the park.

“When I read the signboard on the fence of the tiger enclosure that said ‘only those who strongly believe in rebirth should risk going near’, I laughed aloud. But at the same time, the message came clear to me. We also clicked some photos with the signboard in the backdrop,” said Puran Dixit, a trader from Kolar area, who had come to visit the park with his family.

Spread over 445 hectares, the Van Vihar National Park is a popular tourist site in the state capital.

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