Rajnagar: A 15 feet-high Skywalk Bridge newly built in Bhitarkanika National Park in Kendrapara district is expected to increase tourist footfall from August 1, which will reopen after nearly three months.

Nature lovers and tourists coming to the national park would have a rare experience. Skywalk Bridge constructed amid dense forest at Dangamal is certainly an innovative concept in the State. The bridge stretches from Mangrove Meta Nursery up to a big space where deer throng in large numbers.

“Skywalk Bridge will give tourists a feel as if they are walking in the sky. The bridge is around 600 metres in length. At a few places and due to tree obstructions, the height has been reduced to 12 feet,” Rajnagar divisional forest officer (DFO) Sudarshan Gopinath Yadav expressed when contacted.

Worth mentioning, Bhitarkanika National Park spans over Mahanadi-Brahmani-Baitarani delta region.

Forest department earlier announced that the park would remain out of bounds for tourists between May 1 and July 31. The decision was taken keeping in mind the mating season of saltwater crocodiles. During this nesting period, the female reptiles lay eggs near water bodies of the mangrove forests. The crocodiles are guarded to facilitate the hatching of eggs.