Dehradun:
Uttarakhand, today, got its second tiger reserve as the famous Rajaji National Park in state was formally granted the prestigious status.
This is the second tiger reserve in the State after the Corbett Tiger Reserve.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat made the announcement while releasing logo of the tiger reserve.
According to an official release, Mr Rawat said, "Forest and wildlife animals are our national treasures and it is indispensable to conserve it for keeping environmental balance".
"Imbalance among wildlife do leave an adverse impact on our surroundings and human will have to bear its burn the most. So, we need to conserve the wildlife animals", the release said.
Mr Rawat also said that Uttarakhand should not only be known as a state which conserves its wildlife population and natural beauty, rather it should utilize these to boost the tourism and financial sector.
Uttarakhand has the second highest tiger population in the country after Karnataka. There is presence of tigers in the Chilla and Dhaulkhand ranges of the Rajaji National Park which encompasses the Shivaliks near the foothills of the Himalayas.
Rajaji National Park is spread over 820 square km and three districts of Uttarakhand including Haridwar, Dehradun and Pauri Garhwal.
The Park is at the northwestern limit of distribution for both elephants and tigers in the country and has the largest population of elephants in Uttarakhand.
State Wild Life and Environment Minister Dinesh Aggarwal said the notification of another tiger reserve would attract more tourists and boost the economy of the State.