Butterfly park to come up in Ranganathittu sanctuary: Forest Minister

Minister for Forest, Biodiversity and Environment Eshwar B. Khandre on Monday said he had asked the officials to develop a butterfly park at Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary near Mysuru, similar to the one at the Bannerghatta Biological Park in Bengaluru.

Speaking after flagging off three new boats for bird watching at the sanctuary, the Minister, who later held a meeting with the forest officials, directed the officials to provide all necessary and basic facilities for tourists visiting the sanctuary. The Minister said he has also directed the promotion of the new attractions that have been introduced at the sanctuary for boosting footfall.

Expressing happiness over naming boats as Cauvery, Hemavathi, Tunga, Krishna, and Lakshman Tirtha, the Minister suggested naming the three new boats Manjra, Godavari, and Karanja.

Online ticketing

Mr. Khandre also suggested introducing online ticketing for entry tickets and boating at the sanctuary. “This will benefit the visitors and also be convenient for them to buy entry and boating tickets. The online ticketing system that exists for trekking and safari, the same system can also be extended to Ranganatittu sanctuary,” the Minister advised.

‘Develop Gendehosahalli’

Mr. Khandre asked the forest authorities to submit a proposal to him for developing Gende Hosahalli island, which is near Ranganatittu Bird Sanctuary. Gende Hosahalli island can also be developed on the lines of Ranganatittu since the place is also attracting thousands of migratory birds. “This can be another tourist attraction,” he felt.

The Minister later went on a boating ride and watched birds and also a giant crocodile that was resting on a rock at the river.

The renowned Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary in Srirangapatna was declared a Ramsar site two years ago. This is also the first and the only Ramsar site in Karnataka.

The Karanji Lake Nature Park (KLNP), one of the popular tourist attractions in Mysuru, has a butterfly park. The Kerala Forest Research Institute (KFRI), which has a rich collection of plant species that can magnetise varieties of butterflies, had assisted the Zoo Authority of Karnataka (ZAK), the caretaker of KLNP, in making the butterfly park attractive by way of introducing plants that can draw multicoloured butterflies.

Published - November 25, 2024 07:24 pm IST