COLOMBO, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka's Tourism Ministry has launched a safari park which includes Bengal Tigers in the southern city of Hambantota in a bid to promote Sri Lanka as a safari destination, local media reported on Monday.
The Safari Park was opened by Minister of Tourism Development, Wildlife and Christian Religious Affairs John Amaratunga.
The 9-acre Bengal Tiger enclosure is the first zone to be opened at the Safari Park.
At present, there are six Bengal Tigers in the enclosure of which three are male.
Another male Bangal Tiger will be transported to the park from the National Zoological Gardens in the capital of Colombo, said Hemantha Samarasekara, additional director of the Safari Park in Hambantota.
As a security measure, the enclosure has a 16-foot-high wall and chain-like fence. Three electric fences are connected to the chain-like wall.
The enclosure has a pond for bathing, a reservoir and artificial caves.
Samarasekara said the Safari Park was built at an estimated cost of 893,000 U.S. dollars.
In addition to the Bengal Tigers enclosure, a 4-acre Herbivore Zone was also openeds which includes deer, hog deer, barking deer, mouse deer, tortoise, ducks, emu, rabbits and hares. The Herbivore Zone has a pond, shelters and sprinklers for the animals.
The Sri Lankan government said it aimed to promote the island country as a safari destination due to its 26 national parks covering an area of 5,734 square km, much of which is protected by the Department of Wildlife Conservation.
Sri Lanka's national parks are home to majestic elephants, leopards, several species of mammals, rare species of birds and reptiles.
