Butterfly Park Near Indo-B’desh Border Draw Tourists From Both Sides

The forest department’s butterfly park, located in a village near the India-Bangladesh international border in South Tripura district, has become a popular tourist spot for people from various parts of India and Bangladesh.

According to Deputy Conservator of Forest Krishnagopal Roy, the Butterfly EcoPark located near the Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary in Chottakhola has attracted many tourists, including domestic and those from neighboring Bangladesh.

The park, which is the first of its kind in the northeast, boasts 250 species of butterflies and covers 5.5 hectares of land. Roy also mentioned that the park is close to two other popular tourist spots, the endangered bison park at Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary and the Indo-Bangla Maitri Park, which commemorates the Bangladesh liberation war. Additionally, the park features a breeding facility and is equipped with plants and artificial food to provide a suitable habitat for the winged creatures.

Reports suggest that the forest department has surveyed the state and identified 20 potential sites for butterfly parks. Sushanta Chowdhury, the Tourism Minister of Tripura, has expressed the potential of the Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary and its surroundings in attracting a large number of tourists and contributing to the economic development of the state. The short lifespan of butterflies does not diminish their role in beautifying the ecosystem, the Tourism Minister said.

To further enhance tourism, Chowdhury emphasised the need to develop a tourist circuit that includes other attractive sites in the area. Additionally, the forest department aims to promote butterflies as a tourism aspect as they are considered indicators of good ecological balance and healthy nature by wildlife and environment experts.

Forest department officials believe that the state’s variety of vegetation, which includes many plants with medicinal values and over 250 butterfly species, can attract tourists who seek a calming experience watching the winged creatures flutter from one end of the park to the other.

Tripura has about 250 species of butterflies, according to PCCF KS Shethy, who added that the Forest Department is working to increase their number to attract more tourists. The state recently declared the “Common Birdwing” as the state butterfly and is taking steps to promote it as a tourist attraction.