Post News Network
Kendrapara, Jan 12: After remaining closed for 12 days, the Bhitarkanika National Park is going to be reopened for visitors Tuesday, official sources said.
The authorities had imposed a ban on tourists’ entry to the park in view of the annual census of estuarine crocodiles and the mid-winter fall census of migratory birds within the national park between January 1 and January 12. The prohibition was imposed to prevent noise pollution during the census drive, said Rajnagar divisional forest officer (DFO) Kedar Kumar Swain.
Sixteen teams, comprising forest personnel and ornithologists, took part in the bird census that was conducted Monday. While 11 teams were engaged in the bird census in Kendrapara district, five teams were engaged in Jagatsinghpur district. The forest officials used the traditional ‘direct sighting’ method, while wildlife researchers and ornithologists used spotting scope, binoculars and cameras, said Swain.
The crocodile head count drive was organised in the national park from January 8 to January 10, in which 26 teams of enumerators were pressed into service.
According to official sources, about 50,513 tourists, including 291 foreigners, visited the park in 2014. The national park authorities collect an entry fee of `20 for an Indian and `1,000 for a foreigner.
Kanika forest ranger Akhaya Kumar Nayak said all the cottages have been booked till February 17 under the range.
The authorities have made
it mandatory for all the visitors
to produce identity proof to gain access into the park while the
use of polythene has been banned this time.
