Kendrapara: The Bhitarkanika National Park in Odisha’s Kendrapara district was closed for three months as the mating and nesting season of the saltwater crocodiles began, officials said Saturday.
The park was closed to tourists May 1 to ensure that the estuarine crocodiles do not get disturbed during nesting and breeding, they said.
Assistant Chief Conservator Manas Das said the sound of the mechanised boats carrying tourists disturbs the crocodiles.
“Once the reptiles get disturbed during the nesting and breeding period, they become violent. Most of the crocodile attacks happen during this period,” he said.
“The female crocodiles lay eggs inside the mangrove forest and guard them till they hatch,” he added.
Bhitarkanika has been recognised as the biggest saltwater crocodile conservation success story in the country, as their numbers increased from less than 100 in 1974 to 1,858 in January this year.
Odisha is the only state in the country having all three species of crocodiles — gharial, mugger and saltwater.
