Bird census begins at Bhitarkanika National Park in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: The annual bird census at Bhitarkanika National Park in Kendrapada district and the crocodile census at Similipal in Odisha's Mayurbhanj district both began on Friday.

The crocodile census, which will last two days, will be attended by 16 teams.

Meanwhile, the annual bird census began this morning at 5.30 a.m. and will continue until 2 p.m. Around 17 teams equipped with boats, radios (walkie-talkie), binoculars, cameras, and GPS scales have been deployed for the census of migratory birds in the National Park.

The census will be conducted at Raipatia, Satabhayagheri, Satabhaya Bisarna Adrabhumi, Jambhu, Batighara, Barunei Muhana, Praharajpur, Kansaripatia, Khola, Naliapatia, Durgapuramuhana, and other national park locations.

"We are hoping for an increase in the number of winged visitors to the national park this year," Adhar Kumar Behera, Rajnagar Divisional Forest Officer-in-Charge, told local media.

It is also worth noting that the Bhitarkanika National Park will be closed to visitors for 11 days beginning January 4 for the crocodile census. According to a 2022 census, the national park has 1,784 saltwater crocodiles.