Butterfly Park Opens At Daringibadi

BHUBANESWAR: To attract tourists to Odisha, a butterfly park has been opened at Daringbadi, the hill station in Kandhamal district known as Kashmir of Odisha. The butterfly park is the second in the after Nandankanan Zoological Park in Bhubaneswar.

The state forest department has developed the park spread over four hectares for more than Rs 55 lakh, said a forest official.

The facility also includes a medicinal garden, 3-D film theatres, a display of life-size models of wild animals and an exhibit of the traditions of Kutia Kondh, a vulnerable tribal group (VTG) that call Belaghara in the district home, the official added.

The forest department has inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Sirtiguda Vana Sanrakshana Samiti (VSS) for the up-keep of the park and locals are to be involved in the protection of the park. The visitors can enjoy a variety of colourful butterflies in their natural surroundings to understand their significance in the ecosystem.

Food and natural habitat have been provided for the butterflies to stay and breed. Flowering plants of specific species that butterflies flock to have been planted in large numbers at the park. The park also provides butterflies shelter and breeding spaces with flora such as hibiscus, curry leaf citrus, bauhinia, ficus, palm, mango, guava and bamboo in the upper part of the park behind the rockery.