Odisha’s Bhitarkanika to remain closed for 10 days in January next year

Kendrapara: Bhitarkanika National Park will remain out of bounds for tourists for a period of 10 days in January next year to carry out crocodile census in waterbodies inside and outside the wildlife sanctuary here in the district.

As the headcount exercise of crocodiles is scheduled to start from January 2 till January 11, 2022, at Bhitarkanika, entry of foreign and local tourists into the campus will be prohibited during the period, an official source informed today.

The wildlife sanctuary will open for tourists from January 12, 2022.

Bhitarkanika National Park is the home to endangered salt water crocodiles. As per crocodile census-2021, there are 1,768 salt water crocodiles in the wildlife habitat, which is the second largest mangrove ecosystems of India.