The scheduled opening of the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve (DTR) from November 1 may be further delayed following unprecedented rain and subsequent floods in Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri district.Major parts of the DTR and Kishanpur Wildlife Sanctuary (KWS) are flooded and authorities are reviewing the reopening plan.Sanjay Kumar Pathak, field director of the DTR, said: “The unprecedented floods and rain have led to heavy water-logging inside the Dudhwa National Park (DNP) and the KWS. The routes and bridges inside the park, used by the tourists, have been damaged due to floods and subsequent waterlogging. Because of this, movement of tourist vehicles will not be possible on slushy and muddy jungle routes.”We may postpone the opening of the park for a week or more till the routes and bridges are repaired to the convenience of the Dudhwa visitors. We will review the situation this week and take appropriate decision regarding opening of the park for tourism activities.”The DTR has around 105 Royal Bengal tigers, 42 one-horned rhinoceros, 400 avian species, five species of deer, including the Uttar Pradesh state animal Swamp deer, besides a number of other animals like wild tuskers, boars, beer and rich flora and fauna in its fold.
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