Bhitarkanika – आवारा मुसाफिर

Monsoon water birds flock Bhitarkanika in droves

September 19, 2022706 Views

The Bhitarkanika National Park played host to over one lakh migrant water birds this monsoon, a rise of seven per cent, as the sanctuary re-established itself as one of the most congenial breeding grounds in Odisha for the winged guests, officials said on Sunday. The arrival of these avian species at the wildlife sanctuary in Kendrapara district was delayed this time as the spell of rain was not uniform, he said. "Still, we've spotted an impressive congregation of the monsoon birds along the mangrove covers of the park," the official said. The enumerators counted 1.16 lakh birds this year in comparison to 1.09 lakh in 2021. Prominent among those arriving for nesting are herons, darters and egrets. Minimal human interference, ideal climatic conditions and the river syst...

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Bhitarkanika National Park reopens for visitors

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

January 12, 2022593 Views

The Bhitarkanika National Park in Odisha reopened for visitors on Wednesday after being closed for ten days to carry out the annual census of estuarine crocodiles. The basic objective behind the closure of the national park in Kendrapara district was to avoid human interference during the exercise, Rajnagar Mangrove (Wildlife) Divisional Forest Officer J D Pati said. Noise pollution from human activity distracts wildlife and poses a hindrance for carrying out the census, Pati said. "Our emphasis is on ensuring safe and comfortable sojourn of visitors who throng here in large numbers to savour the warmth of the ecosystem and unique environs of its wetlands," he said. The national park is home to 70 per cent of the country's estuarine crocodiles, conservation of which starte...

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Rare albino crocodile sighted in Odisha’s Bhitarkanika

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

January 7, 2022914 Views

A rare albino salt-water crocodile has been recently sighted at Odisha's Bhitarkanika National Park, a forest officer said on Friday. Rajnagar Mangrove (Wildlife) Divisional Forest Officer J D Pati said that the albino crocodile was sighted in the hatchery and rearing complex of crocodiles at Dangmal in the national park. Forest personnel have named it 'Sweta'. The national park is now home to three captive albino crocodiles. The three-year-old female crocodile was born in the hatchery from the eggs collected from the wild, he said. "During my visit to the hatchery on Wednesday, I discovered this albino crocodile and advised the forest personnel to take proper care of this whitish-coloured crocodile," researcher Sudhakar Kar said. It takes some years for the whitish comple...

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Odisha govt to promote homestays at eco-tourist spots

AWARA MUSAFIR BUREAU

November 16, 20201122 Views

The Odisha government on Monday decided to promote homestay facilities at nature trails and eco-tourist spots to attract tourists to remote areas of the state. At a high-level virtual meeting held under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary A K Tripathy, it was decided that homestays would be supported from the 2021-22 fiscal for a period of ten years, an official said. "Nature trail and experiential tourism is the current fad, and Odisha has much to offer in this sector. Develop homestay facilities in the remote areas untouched by hotel network," the chief secretary said. Places like Diamond Triangle Buddhist Circuit (Ratnagiri Udayagiri Lalitgiri), Onkadelli in Koraput district, Khola, Gupti, Dangmala and Bhitarkanika national park in Kendrapara district, Daringibadi, Belghar...