Question: Bhitarkanika National Park is situated in which state?
(a)West Bengal
(b)Andhra Pradesh
(c)Tamil Nadu
(d)Odisha
Answer:(d)
Context:
- Odisha Government has started a two-year conservation project for Fishing Cats in Bhitarkanika National Park.
Fishing Cat:
- They are a medium-sized wildcat found in South and Southeast Asia.
- Habitat: In India, fishing cats are mainly found in the mangrove forests of the Sundarbans, on the foothills of the Himalayas along the Ganga and Brahmaputra river valleys and in the Western Ghats.
- Significance: In 2012, the West Bengal government officially declared the Fishing Cat as the State Animal.
- IUCN Red List: Vulnerable.
- CITES: Appendix II
- Indian Wildlife Protection Act,1972: Schedule I
- Threat: Habitat Destruction, Hunting, Poaching among others.
Bhitarkanika National Park:
- Bhitarkanika National Park is a 145 km2 large national park in northeast Kendrapara district in Odisha in eastern India.
- It was designated on 16 September 1998 and obtained the status of a Ramsar site on 19 August 2002. The area is also been designated as second Ramsar site of the State after the Chilika Lake.
- It is surrounded by Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary, which spread over 672 km2 . Gahirmatha Beach and Marine Sanctuary are to the east, separating swamp region and mangroves from the Bay of Bengal. The national park and wildlife sanctuary is inundated by the rivers Brahmani, Baitarani, Dhamra, Pathsala.
- It hosts many mangrove species, and is the second largest mangrove ecosystem in India.
- The national park is home to Saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus), Indian python, king cobra, black ibis, darters and many other species of flora and fauna.
By : Arpit Mishra