Wildlife sanctuaries and national parks, including Ranthambhore national park, will now be connected with each other through a corridor. The corridor will provide a safe passage to wild animals and reduce chances of tigers straying from the core area which often resulted into incidents of poaching and killing of big cats.

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The state cabinet approved the proposal at a meeting held on Wednesday. The government will forward the proposal to the Union Ministry of Forest and Environment for final approval. The corridor will be named Rajeev Gandhi Biosphere Reserve.

According to the proposal, the government decided to develop a corridor connecting several sanctuaries spreading in Sawai Madhopur, Kota, Dholpur, Baran and Chittorgarh districts.

The sanctuaries include Ram Sagar, Van Vihar, Kesarbagh, Keola Deo, Ranthambhore, Sawai Mansingh Sanctuary, Darra Forest, National Chambal Forest, Mukundara Hills National Park and Bhensarorgarh Sanctuary.

The corridor aims at the safety of wild animals. The big cats in the Ranthambhore often strayed from the territory and ventured into human habitations surrounding the park. Sometimes conflicts with humans resulted into killing of tiger while a couple of times the tigers were poached.

The corridor will provide a safe route to the tigers and their chances of straying will be less. It is not only about tigers, but leopards, wild pigs, deer and other wild animals which remain on the target of poachers.

Also, the development of corridor will improve the livelihood of villagers living near sanctuaries. They will get better employment opportunities through wildlife tourism. The park will also be notified under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.