Bhubaneswar: The Satkosia Wildlife Sanctuary in Odisha will remain closed to visitors in two phases during January for conducting bird and crocodile census.
The wildlife sanctuary and its different sections will remain closed to visitors from January 6 to 8 and again on January 17 and 18 for the census operation.
Crocodile census is slated to begin from the evening of January 5 and will continue until January 8, Division Forest Officer (DFO) of Satkosia Wildlife Division Saroj Panda said.
Tourists will be allowed until the afternoon of January 5 before the census operation commences.
Satkosia will reopen on January 9 before remaining out of bounds for tourists on January 17 and 18 for the bird census.
All tourism-related activities, including boating in the Mahanadi River, will also be suspended along with a prohibition on local fishermen from entering the gorge during this period.
The census at Satkosia will cover a 23 km stretch along the Mahanadi River and will involve 70 staff members deployed across 14 teams from the Forest Department. Elaborate arrangements, including the use of country boats, have been made for the census activities.
Incidentally, last year’s census in the Satkosia was held around the roughly same time when the crocodile population had surged, with the number of mugger crocodiles rising to 97, and the population of gharials increasing to 14.
However, there was a decline in the number of birds visiting the Satkosia sanctuary last year with approximately 3,330 birds flocking to the gorge against 3,800 birds of 81 species in 2023.
To ensure the smooth and uninterrupted execution of the census, the department has made arrangements, including the provision of country boats.
Satkosia Gorge Sanctuary, which spans 795.52 square kilometres across four districts—Angul, Budh, Cuttack, and Nayagarh—is home to a significant population of mugger crocodiles. These crocodiles are found in the sanctuary’s water bodies.
Worth mentioning, the mugger crocodiles are listed under Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Since 1982, the species has been classified as ‘vulnerable’ on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.
