Ecotourism, Butterfly Festival planned in Vallanadu Blackbuck Sanctuary

The sanctuary has 250 blackbucks, 56 spotted deer and 35 sambar deer

The Department of Forest is all set to launch ecotourism in Vallanadu Blackbuck Sanctuary in near future and organise a ‘Butterfly Festival’ there in November this year.

Speaking to reporters here on Friday, District Forest Officer Abhishek Tomar said Vallanadu Blackbuck Sanctuary, having 250 blackbucks, 56 spotted deer and 35 sambar deer as per the two-day census conducted in February this year through direct sighting, also had 86 species of birds and 80 species of butterflies.

The department had fitted cameras at various points ins the sanctuary, where seven artificial waterbodies had been created. The forest areas adjacent to the sanctuary too had a significant deer population, especially spotted deer and sambar deer.

The Department of Forest, which was planning to create grasslands on over 100 hectares in the area and plant over four lakh tree saplings, would start ecotourism to create awareness of wildlife conservation among the public, especially the younger generation, he said.

“When we took the children from four schools to the sanctuary recently, it was a new experience for them. As the children enjoyed the trip a lot, we are planning to allow the public inside the sanctuary by conducting ecotours. An information centre will also come up at Vallanadu where photographs of the birds, animals and the butterflies found in the sanctuary will be displayed,” Mr. Abhishek said, adding that a documentary on the sanctuary had been produced.

The sanctuary attracted a large number of butterflies in November every year, he said.