Kendrapara: The Bhitarkanika National Park in Odisha’s Kendrapara district will remain closed for tourists from December 26 to January 4 for crocodile census.
The estuarine crocodile census will be carried out under the supervision of noted saltwater crocodile expert Dr. Sudhakar Kar, sources said.
The enumerators will be assisted by trained forest staffs and will cover the Bhitarkanika river system besides creeks, inlets and nullahs.
The day-and-night census will be monitored by technical experts, deputed from Wildlife Headquarters. The total number of crocodiles in the park was 1742 in the last census, according to reports.
As many as 619 hatchlings, 347 yearlings, 273 juveniles, 178 sub-adults (six-eight feet long) and 325 adults (more than 8 feet long) were sighted in the previous census.