Simbalwara National Park in Himachal Pradesh will be renamed as Sher Jung National Park, an official said here Thursday.
A decision to rename the park in Sirmaur district's Paonta Sahib area was taken at a meeting of the state board for wildlife chaired by Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh.
Sher Jung, who hailed from Nahan, was a freedom fighter and hunter-turned-conservationist.
The chief minister has directed the state wildlife wing to explore possibilities to develop the Simbalwara park, bordering Uttarakhand, as a tiger and elephant reserve, a government spokesperson told IANS.
He said Virbhadra Singh also suggested developing a butterfly garden in the park.
The state has five national parks and 26 wildlife sanctuaries.
Forest Minister Thakur Singh Bharmouri said a brown bear conservation project and the second phase of conservation breeding of the western tragopan would be started shortly in Chamba district.
