Barpeta (Assam): The Manas National Park and Tiger Reserve in Assam on Friday reopened for tourists for the 2024-25 ecotourism season following the end of the monsoon closure period as mandated by the Government of India.
The Assam government and state Tourism department observed World Tourism Day 2024 today with a day-long celebration at Manas National Park & Tiger Reserve.
Assam Tourism Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah officially inaugurated the park for the new ecotourism season. The event featured cultural performances, a ribbon-cutting ceremony, and river rafting on the Manas River.
Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) Chief Executive Member Pramod Bodo, BTC Executive Member Gautam Das, MLA Phanidhar Talukdar, and officials from the Assam Tourism and Forest Departments were also present on the occasion.
Earlier in a notice issued by C. Ramesh, Chief Conservator of Forests & Field Director, Manas National Park & Tiger Reserve said that the park will be open to the public six days a week during the 2024-25 ecotourism season.
"The park will remain closed to visitors every Wednesday throughout the season," the notice added, in line with efforts to support conservation activities.
The park's varied landscape, which ranges from lush forests to expansive grasslands, makes it a major attraction for nature lovers and wildlife enthusiasts.
Manas National Park is nestled on the foothills of the Himalayas, houses a unique bio-diversity. It was declared a national park in 1990 and earned the badge of UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988.
It is the first tiger reserve in Assam and the fifth in India, under the initiative of Project Tiger of 1973.
Along with being the Tiger Reserve and Biosphere Reserve, the national park is also established as an Elephant Reserve in 2003. As per the records of the IUCN Red Book, Manas National Park provides shelter to the highest population of endangered species and rare wildlife such as Red Panda, Golden Langur, Pygmy Hog, Assam Roofed Top Turtle, and Hispid Hare.
Animals that can be found in the Park include the Royal Bengal Tiger, Asian Elephant, Greater One-horned Rhinoceros, Clouded Leopard, Gangetic Dolphin, and the rare Langur. A total of 450 species of birds have been officially recorded in the park, 16 of which are widespread.
—ANI