Etawah, Jan 9 (IANS): A leopard safari at the Etawah Safari Park in Uttar Pradesh will be open for visitors from Tuesday.

However, leopards will not be released into the open and tourists will be able to see them only in their enclosures for now, said the Safari sources.

All necessary preparations for the new addition have been made. The exercise to start a Leopard Safari was going on for a long time here. At present, there are 12 leopards in the Safari Park.

Director, Safari Park Anil Kumar Patel, said, “We will first understand their behaviour and once we feel they can be kept in the open, only then we will release them in the open.” Arrangements have been made for starting Leopard Safari for the leopards rescued from different regions, said Patel.

Etawah Safari Park houses 146 blackbucks, 87 chitals, 14 sambars, one bear and two nilgais.

He said, “Although there are a large number of wild animals to view in Etawah Safari Park, Asiatic lions are the biggest attraction for the visitors.

“We have released five lions in the Lion Safari section. Earlier, they were being kept in enclosures, but now they have been released in the open. Now tourists travelling in closed vehicles will be able to see lions in the open,” he said, adding that, “Seeing lions in the open is a different experience which people do not get in forest safari.”

The Safari tour charges have also been increased, he said.

“Indian adult tourist will have to spend Rs 250 instead of Rs 200 to travel by non-AC bus, Rs 375 instead of Rs 300 for AC bus, for children between 6 to 12 years charges will be Rs 65 for non-AC bus and Rs 125 for AC bus while for below six years it will be free. For foreign tourists it will be Rs 625 for non-AC bus, Rs 1,250 for AC and for children of 6 to 12 years it will be Rs 500 for non-AC bus and Rs 1,000 for AC bus,” he said.

The park witnessed a huge footfall of tourists on January 1.