Elephant And Tiger Conservation Centres To Be World Class Eco-Tourism Attractions

TEMERLOH, Aug 26 (Bernama) -- The Tiger Valley Project, in the Krau Forest Reserve, Bukit Rengit and the Kuala Gandah National Elephant Centre, upgraded with several latest attractions, will boost the area into a world class eco-tourism area in several years.

Natural Resource and Environment Minister Datuk Seri G Palanivel said the Tiger Valley Project would be developed under the 11th Malaysia Plan on a 80 ha area with the aid of experts from India, United States and United Kingdom.

"We will develop it on a 80 ha area following the international standard of World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) to avoid being accused of being cruel to animals. "Our aim is to protect the tigers from extinction, the same way we saved the elephants by placing them at the Kuala Gandah National Elephant Conservation Centre here, " he said.

He said this to reporters after a working visit to the National Elephant Centre, Kuala Gandah, Lanchang and the Tiger Valley, Bukit Rengit here, today. He was accompanied by State Tourism and Culture Committee chairman Datuk Mohd Sharkar Shamsuddin.

He said, towards this end, the federal government would discuss with the Pahang State Government more comprehensively to draw up a world class eco-tourism plan. He said, via the two projects, the area would not only be capable of becoming a tourism attraction but would become a comprehensive eco-tourism protection centre.

Meanwhile, he said the government had allocated RM35 million to develop the Kuala Gandah National Elephant Conservation Centre since 15 years ago. He said it was now the elephant Unit administration centre in Peninsula Malaysia and a care centre for injured elephants and had successfully relocated 783 elephants from conflict areas.

"We will add several more new attractions at the conservation centre including an elephant procession to attract more tourists to the centre," he added.

A total 200,000 tourists had visited the centre last year and the number was expected to go up to 300,000 as soon as the neighbouring Tiger Valley was completed in two to three years' time, he added.
-bernama.