By Our Staff Reporter
Ramnagar. 7 Mar: With Holi being celebrated on Friday, 14 March, the Corbett National Park administration has implemented strict security measures. The park will be completely closed to tourists on Holi, and special arrangements have been made to monitor poachers and wildlife smugglers.
Corbett National Park, renowned for its biodiversity and wildlife conservation, will remain closed on Holi. The administration has also cancelled night stays on 13 and 14 March for security reasons. It may be reminded here that, traditionally, poachers and wildlife smugglers tend to exploit this time even as the park officials celebrate Holi with their respective families. It may also be reminded here that Diwali, New Year and Holi are considered highly sensitive and vulnerable times when the poachers get extra active. This tendency has prompted increased vigilance from the Corbett administration during the Holi festival this time.
Patrolling has been intensified in sensitive areas bordering Uttar Pradesh, with nine special teams deployed throughout the park. Employee leaves have been cancelled to ensure any emergencies can be addressed immediately. While the morning safari on 13 March will continue, the evening safari has been cancelled, and the entire day safari on 14 March will remain closed.
During Holi, large crowds often attempt to enter Corbett National Park, posing a threat to wildlife and risking human-wildlife conflict. To mitigate this, the administration has increased security in populated areas to prevent any incidents.
Park Warden Amit Gwaskoti has observed that the teams of the park administration are continuously on patrol, and the administration has prepared a complete plan to deal with hunters and hooligans. Tourists planning to visit Corbett Park during Holi will need to re-plan their trip. There will be no safari on 13 and 14 March. Corbett National Park is home to a variety of wild animals, including mammals, birds, reptiles, and fish. Mammals in the park include tigers, leopards, elephants, chital, deer, sambhar, hog deer, barking deer, wild boar, langur, and rhesus monkey. Over 600 species of birds are found in the park, with bird diversity peaking in winter due to the arrival of foreign birds. Corbett is also home to the largest population of Bengal tigers in the world. Besides them, the park also hosts a variety of reptiles, including crocodiles, gharials, cobras and king cobras, common kraits, Russell vipers, rock pythons, and monitor lizards. Various species of fish such as Mahseer, trout, rohu, katla, kalimuchi, kalabasa, chilva, and goonch are also present. Additionally, the park is home to the Asiatic black bear, sloth bear, yellow-throated marten, and otter, among others. The park warden mentioned that 3,35,000 tourists visited the park in 2023-24, including 9,000 foreign tourists.
