Bhubaneswar: Good news for wildlife lovers! The Odisha government today launched Jungle Safari vehicles at Bharatpur Forest, the south-eastern part of Chandaka-Damapara Wildlife Sanctuary, on the outskirts of the city.

Inaugurating the service, State Forest and Environment Minister Bijayashree Routray said “it will help tourists to experience wilderness of nature in the city”.

Five eight-seater open vehicles have been procured and customised out of CSR funding of MCL and NALCO for the jungle safari, an official statement said.

Two sorties will be made from 6 am to 10 am in the morning and one sortie from 4 pm to 6 pm in the afternoon. The tariff for each vehicle per sortie is Rs. 2,000. Online booking facility through www.ecotourodisha.com will be available for the tourists within a week, it added.

Spread over 20 Sq. Km, it abodes Asiatic elephant, spotted deer, wild pig, honey badger, porcupine, jungle cat, mongoose, civet, hare, python, cobra and variety of avifauna and flora. This patch of forest acts as a carbon sink and green lungs of the city. It also caters to the drinking water need of the city by recharging the hydrological cycle.