Kukrail Night Safari: Construction to begin in April
Park to be developed in consultation with the agency that developed world’s first night safari in Singapore; Phase I to be completed in 24 months
Construction work for the ‘Kukrail Night Safari and Adventure Park, India’s first-of-its-kind night safari, will begin in April.
The construction design of India’s first and world’s fifth night safari has been developed in consultation with Bernard Arc, the Indian arm of the agency that developed world’s first night safari in Singapore. Since it is the first of its kind project in India, learning from Singapore will be utilised in Lucknow with additional changes made according to the local environment and need.
“Phase-1 construction will be completed within 24 months,” said a statement issued by the state government on Saturday.
The project will feature 38 types of animal enclosures, an amusement activity area, an administration block, a 7D theater, an art gallery, and a grand entry gateway. Additionally, a cafeteria, entrance plaza, quarantine ward, veterinary hospital, and five types of residential blocks for staff will be developed.
The enclosures at Kukrail Night Safari will house a diverse range of animals, including Indian lion, caracal, leopard, nilgai, blackbuck, chinkara, sloth bear, barasingha, deer, hog deer, jackal, Himalayan Black Bear, and striped hyena.
To enhance security and management, a modern CCTV surveillance system will also be installed.
Under the project, a range of services and facilities will be developed, including gardening, landscaping, roads and footpaths, parking, pathways, sports facilities, compound walls, watchman cabins, internal and external gates, external development, drainage, and signage installation.
According to the master plan, a tram service will be introduced within the night safari, with dedicated tram storage and running lines constructed at various enclosures.
Additionally, a state-of-the-art 7D theater with a seating capacity of 200 will be built, along with an art gallery within the complex. An entrance plaza featuring three entry gateways, ticket counters, and designated entrances will also be developed.
The Kukrail Night Safari and Adventure Park will be developed in two phases, with the government approving a budget of over ₹1,500 crore for its construction and development. Of this, construction and development works in Phase-1 will be carried out at an estimated cost of ₹631 crore (excluding GST).
In Phase-1, the Night Safari enclosures will be built over 65,254 square meters of Kukrail forest, while the entire project will span 34.59 lakh square meters (855.07 acres).
The entire project will come up in 855 hectares where 72% will be open or natural land. The total area of Kukrail forest is 2027.46 hectares.
The detailed project report (DPR) of the maple leaf-design night safari was presented on November 19, 2024, roughly two years after its digital survey was done in December 2022.
With the night safari or nocturnal zoo in Kukrail, the day zoo will also be shifted from Hazratganj to Kukrail forest area. This shifting will be done once construction work gets completed.
