The Bhitarkanika National Park in Kendrapada district was on Tuesday reopened for tourists after closure of three months for the breeding season of estuarine crocodiles.
The park had been closed for visitors from May 1 to July 31 in view of the breeding season of the saltwater crocodiles.
It is to be noted that the park remains closed for visitors for three months every year as saltwater crocodiles become very aggressive during their breeding season and attack people even without provocation.
The park is home to as many as 1,671 estuarine crocodiles. Every year, forest officials collect eggs from the nesting sites for incubation under semi-natural conditions. For the conservation of the endangered species, the hatchlings are reared for a period of three years and then released into the wild.