Odisha’s Bhitarkanika National Park reopens for tourists

Kendrapara: Bhitarkanika National Park in Odisha’s Kendrapara district reopened for tourists from today after remaining closed for three months due to breeding season of saltwater crocodiles.

Tourists and visitors interested in visiting Bhitarkanika can log on to www.ecotourodisha.com for bookings. Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of the Rajnagar Wildlife Division, Bimal Prasanna Acharya said this year, extra arrangements have been made for tourists by operationalizing eight cottages at Dangamal for night halt inside the park.

The park was closed for tourists from May 1 to July 31 during the mating and nesting seasons of saltwater crocodiles to ensure the safety of humans and provide a congenial environment for the crocodiles. The prohibition was imposed as the reptiles need a calm environment for mating and nesting.

As many as 101 nests of crocodiles were counted during this year’s nesting season against 79 nests counted last year.