| As soon as we reached the shore
we were warned by a huge billboard to be wary
of the dreaded animal of the Park- the huge
alligators called Baula crocodiles. They are
carnivorous and frequently crawl up the shore
and lurk in dark corners. They are the world’s
largest of their species and can grow more
than seven meters in length. They also live
up to 75 years. But it was getting dark. We
walked on listening to the uninterrupted calls
of the Dahuka bird- the white-breasted water
hen- and also of the nightjars.
Though it was densely dark in the evening
it was full of nightlife. There were cheetals
or the spotted deer in large numbers almost
walking beside us behind the mangrove forests
flanking the half a mile path till the Forest
Rest House at the Dangamala. We could see
them foraging very close unafraid of human
existence. We watched them also with great
ecstasy. The watchman would circle searchlights
on the herds occasionally and their doe
eyes glowed from the dark revealing their
healthy hides. They behaved almost like
pet ones and there was a stag that was the
staff’s favorite and they had named him
too and would call it loudly after we had
finished eating our dinner and the stag
came to eat the leftovers!
We woke up to the loud chirping of the
birds in that island. There was a peepul
tree facing the rest house and lo and behold
there were so many birds of various hues!
Purple sunbirds, chestnut–tailed starlings,
rose winged parakeets, coppersmith barbits,
black –headed orioles, Asian koel, geese,
gulls, egrets. Only recently a survey has
been conducted on the rich treasure of birds
in Bhitarkanika and the results are equally
astonishing. Bhitarkanika has more birds
in winter than Chilika, which is known for
its migratory birds! Storks and pelicans
hunt for food here to rear their young at
a very large heronry called Bagagahana.
Bagagahana with 20 acres of mangrove forests
has a highly productive ecosystem providing
plenty of fish, prawns, frogs, mollusk and
snakes. Here birds are of both migratory
and resident types and they can be sighted
throughout the year. During the monsoon
about half a lakh birds fly into the inaccessible
interior of the sanctuary to breed. Bagagahana
and Kalibhanjadia islands turn eerie during
the rains for the birds and crocodiles and
snakes lurking in the muddy seawater below
the canopy of the trees stalk their fledglings!
After a simple breakfast we set out for
the Bhitarkanika Island across a river named
Bhitarkanika. It was the time of low tide.
Bhitarkanika is enchanting in the early
morning, when the mist hangs like a pall
over the river. The forests seem to lean
onto the placid blue waters. On the muddy
beach, there were several tiny crabs and
mudskippers, and the most interesting were
the roots of the saline water washed mangroves.
A trek through the island leads to a ruin
of a watchtower and a lotus pond. There
is also a Shiva temple. It was worth the
tiresome three and a half kilometer trek.
The forest was once the private hunting
place of the king of Kanika. Since it was
an island he had introduced wild boars and
deer to hunt them at leisure!
There were many old trees and many were
in flower too. Some villagers had come to
collect honey and gather firewood and also
fish in the waters. There were several waterholes
with thin layers of green moss on them hiding
crocodiles beneath. But the gift of the
forest was the golden boughs of fragrant
Ketaki flowers whose heady sweet smell wafted
till a long distance. We also noticed orchids
on the massive old tree branches.
We came back to the shore when the water
level was rising again and looked for the
crocodiles, which ruled the Bhitarkanika
Park. There were many of them swimming in
the water and also basking full length on
the muddy shore. They appeared so fearsome
when they yawned with their large toothy
mouths! These animals attack the villagers
too and often eat the deer. The rare and
world famous Olive Ridley sea turtles are
the most difficult to see on these parts
however. To catch a glimpse of them one
has to sail in the water to Ekakulanasi
or Gahirmatha from Dangamala, which takes
almost three to four hours to reach.
Bhitarkanika means core of Kanika (The
Kingdom). It was declared a wildlife sanctuary
in 1975 with an area of 650 sq kilometers.
The forest is dominated by 62 varieties
of trees out of the total of 67 mangrove
species found in the entire would. Hental,
Sundari, Guan, Siris, Rai, Giria are the
ones which dominate here. These yield good
timber and tannins.
Rivers like the Dhamara, Khola, Bhitarkanika,
Patashala, Maipura and Hansini, which crisscross
the sanctuary feed the delta. These gentle,
flowing rivers add a charming picturesque
contour to the mangroves which otherwise
are intimidating for their somber, green
only spectrum. It was time to bid adieu
to the silently protective mangroves. Memories
of the birds and the slumbering crocodiles
would remain much longer in memory however.
Fact file
Bhitarkanika is 130 from Bhubaneswar via
Rajnagar and is 174 km via Chandbali, the
ferry service costs between Rs 1200 to Rs
1500 per boat up to Dangamala. The Orissa
Tourism Develoment Corporation runs a high-tech
boat service costing Rs 1700 per day.
From Gupti it costs Rs 500 plus fuel in
small boats and Rs 700 plus fuel in large
boats by private boats.
For reservation/permission contact
Divisional Forest Officer
Mangrove Forest Division (WL)
Rajnagar, Kendrapada-754255
Phone 06729-272464
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