West Bengal: Sunderbans all set to reopen from October 1

West Bengal has opened national parks, tiger reserves, and wildlife sanctuaries for tourists, with appropriate safety measures in place, after the state government announced relaxation of restrictions on wildlife safari and rides. As per the reports, the state government has also decided to reopen the Sundarbans National Park from October 1 for tourists. All gardens and parks throughout the state have also been allowed to open.

As per the reports, the West Bengal government announced the relaxations through a series of orders after reviewing the current COVID situation in the state.
As per the state government’s order, all national parks, sanctuaries, and tiger reserves located in the Sundarban Biosphere Reserve along with safaris and rides, if any will be opened from October 1, 2021. The government’s order also stated that wildlife wardens/Divisional Forest Officers will be allowed to impose suitable restrictions and safety norms as they deem fit. However, during the safari, all visitors are expected to follow all the COVID related safety protocols, such as wearing face masks all the time, maintaining adequate social distance, and also follow hygiene protocols all the time.
Debjit Dutta, Chairman, IATO West Bengal Chapter, welcoming the decision, stated that he is thankful to the authorities for this move. He added that there are almost 70 forest and nature guides, 52 tourist boat operators, and more than 52 hotels operating in Sundarban, and the livelihood of the host communities across the region is largely dependent on tourism.
He further added that they are very happy to note that the other wildlife parks in the state have also been opened as per yearly schedule.

It is expected that the latest decision will likely attract more tourists to the wildlife parks and forests, right before Durga Puja in West Bengal, and it will also provide the much-required relief to the wildlife enthusiasts of the country.