Kendrapara, Jan 14: The Bhitarkanika National Park in Odisha’s Kendrapara district will remain closed till January 22 in view of the annual crocodile and migratory birds' headcount exercise in the water body, officials said on Tuesday.

Several teams have been constituted to count the crocodiles and birds in the creeks, rivers, wetland sites and mangrove forests within the park and its nearby areas, informed Assistant Conservator of Forests, Manas Das.

Any form of human activity could disrupt the process, and that is why the national park will remain closed till January 22, he said. The restrictions for visitors will also prevent noise pollution during the counting of the crocodiles.

Notably, Bhitarkanika is home to 70 per cent of the country’s estuarine crocodiles, conservation of which started in 1975.

The number of saltwater crocodiles, the species that are not found in any other river system in Odisha, stands at 1,811 in the Bhitarkanika wildlife sanctuary, as per the latest census.

Adequate conservation measures by the state forest department have led to a systematic rise in the number of these reptiles over the years, forest officials said.

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