Bhitarkanika National Park

Location and Extent

Bhitarkanika National Park is located in Kendrapara district of Odisha, at the mouth of the Brahmani-Baitarani deltaic complex. The park encompasses an area of approximately 145 square kilometres as its core zone, surrounded by the Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary spanning 672 square kilometres. The larger Bhitarkanika ecosystem, including the Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary, is a Ramsar site of international importance. The name “Bhitarkanika” derives from two Odia words — “Bhitar” (inside) and “Kanika” (beautiful), aptly describing the spectacularly beautiful interior of this mangrove wilderness. The park is crisscrossed by a dense network of tidal creeks, estuaries, and mudflats, making boat travel the primary means of access and exploration. The area receives high rainfall, between 1,500 and 2,000 millimetres annually, and is subject to tidal inundation that deposits silt and nutrients, sustaining the rich mangrove ecosystem.

The Mangrove Ecosystem

Bhitarkanika harbours one of the finest remaining mangrove ecosystems in India, with over 62 species of mangroves and mangrove associates. The dominant species include Avicennia officinalis, Avicennia marina, Rhizophora mucronata, Rhizophora apiculata, Sonneratia apetala, Heritiera fomes (sundari), Ceriops tagal, Bruguiera gymnorrhiza, and Excoecaria agallocha. The mangroves exhibit clear zonation from the seaward fringe to the inland margins based on salinity tolerance and tidal inundation levels. Sonneratia and Avicennia pioneer the newly formed mudflats, while Heritiera and Xylocarpus occupy the higher, less saline areas further inland. The tangled aerial roots — pneumatophores in Avicennia and Sonneratia, stilt roots in Rhizophora — trap sediment and organic matter, progressively building up the land surface. These forests act as a natural barrier against coastal erosion, storm surges, and cyclones, protecting the densely populated hinterland of Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur.

Saltwater Crocodile Conservation

Bhitarkanika is globally famous for its successful saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) conservation programme. Initiated in 1975 under the UNDP-FAO-GOI Crocodile Breeding and Management Project, the programme involved collecting eggs from the wild, hatching them at the Dangamal Crocodile Research Centre, and releasing yearlings into the creeks after a period of rearing in captivity. The programme has been enormously successful: from a precarious low of an estimated 95 individuals in the mid-1970s, the population has grown to over 1,700 individuals. The 23-foot-long saltwater crocodile residing in the park is claimed to be the largest living crocodile in the world by length and is recorded in the Guinness World Records. The crocodiles inhabit the deeper tidal creeks where they prey on fish, crabs, and occasionally on deer and wild boar that venture to the water’s edge. Encounters between crocodiles and fishermen working in the creeks are a recurring human-wildlife conflict issue that requires ongoing management attention.

Olive Ridley Turtles and Gahirmatha

The Gahirmatha beach, located adjacent to the Bhitarkanika sanctuary along the Bay of Bengal coast, is the largest mass-nesting site for the endangered olive ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) in the world. Every year, between November and May, hundreds of thousands of female turtles converge on this 35-kilometre stretch of beach for the arribada (mass nesting), a spectacle of nature that draws scientists and conservationists from around the world. The peak nesting months are February and March. The Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary, declared in 1997, extends over 1,435 square kilometres and encompasses the turtle congregation waters where mechanised fishing is prohibited during the nesting season. Despite these measures, thousands of turtles perish annually in fishing nets through incidental capture. The use of Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) in trawler nets has been mandated but compliance remains imperfect. The Forest Department, the Coast Guard, and NGOs jointly conduct protection and monitoring.

Other Wildlife and Ecological Significance

Beyond crocodiles and turtles, Bhitarkanika supports a diverse fauna. The spotted deer, wild boar, rhesus macaque, fishing cat, jungle cat, and otter are resident mammals. The estuarine and inshore waters harbour the Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris) and the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin. The park is a birdwatcher’s paradise, hosting over 320 species of birds, including eight species of kingfishers, white-bellied sea eagle, osprey, brahminy kite, and numerous species of herons, egrets, ibises, and storks. During winter, large congregations of migratory birds, including bar-headed geese, Brahminy ducks, and various sandpipers, use the mudflats and wetlands of the reserve. The Bagagahana heronry within the park is one of the largest in India, where thousands of open-billed storks, egrets, and cormorants nest communally. Bhitarkanika’s conservation success — the recovery of the crocodile, the protection of olive ridley nesting beaches, and the preservation of the mangrove forest — makes it one of the most significant protected areas in India.