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.
The forest department officials further revealed that the basic objective behind the ban imposed on tourist entries at the Bhitarkanika National Park is to avoid any sort of human interference at a time when the meticulous operation is being carried out. Although the winters are ideal for tourist visits, but then the headcount needs to take place now as the season is also suitable for the operation.
