Kendrapara: The Rajnagar mangrove (forest) and wildlife division would impose a three-month ban from May 1 to July 31 on entry of tourists and other visitors to the Bhitarkanika National Park. The ban comes as the nesting season for estuarine crocodiles would start soon.
The division has issued a notice and affixed it at the entrance gate of the Dangamala crocodile-rearing and breeding centre.
Generally, forest personnel impose a ban on tourists’ entry during the three months in order to ensure that the crocodiles are not disturbed in the process of their nesting and breeding. This was stated by Subrat Kumar Patra, the head of Kanika forest range. During this period, those coming to the crocodile-infested areas at Bhitarkanika, Dangamala and Ragadapati forest blocks under Bhitarkanika will not be allowed in.
According to the ranger, once the reptiles are disturbed during the nesting and breeding season, they turn more violent. A majority of the crocodile-attacks occurred during the nesting season.
The female reptiles lay eggs near the water bodies inside the mangrove forest and guard the eggs till the emergence of the hatchlings from the eggs. Generally, a crocodile comes to lay eggs by first forming a nest, and it’s here that the reptiles are given birth.
Bimal Prasanna Acharya, DFO of Rajnagar mangrove forest and wildlife division, said as many as 82 nests of estuarine crocodiles were spotted in the last crocodile nesting season at Kanika, Gahirmatha and Rajnagar wildlife forest range divisions under Bhitarkanika National Park.
Out of these 82 nests, as many as six were sighted under the Rajnagar forest range and three under the Gahirmatha forest range. Some 73 nests were spotted at the Dangamala crocodile research centre within Kanika forest range.
While 25 nests were spotted under Dangamala forest block, 23 were sighted at the Bhitarkanika forest block. Some 20 nests were found by forest personnel in Ragadapati forest block, three estuarine crocodile nests at the Uttar Mahismada forest block and a couple of nests at the Kalibhanjadiha forest block. All these forest blocks come under the Kanika forest block.
