Bhubaneswar: For tourists and nature lovers, Red Ghost Crabs are fascinating and adds flavor to the nature trail.
These interesting crabs are found in large numbers near Bichitrapur in Baleswar district.
This is one of the aspects Eco-Guides are informing the tourists as they come on nature trails to the pristine beaches of Talasari and Udaypur.
In fact Odisha Biodiversity Board with the cooperation of Forest, Environment & Climate Change Department, Government of Odisha organized training programs for Eco-Guides and Naturalists in Rissia Nature Camp and Bichitrapur Nature Camp of Balasore recently.
Chairman Odisha Biodiversity Board, Rajiv Kumar a nature lover has always been forefront of Eco-Tourism Promotion has directed to organize more such training programs.
Mr.Kumar has advised the trainers to make aware the Eco-Guides about the nature, flora fauna so that they will be able to present details to the tourists.
One of the training sites is Bichitrapur nature camp, which is situated in between Odisha and West Bengal border, which houses Red Ghost Crabs.
The adult Ghost Crabs dig deep burrows, comprising a long shaft with a chamber at the end, occasionally with a second entrance shaft.
They remain in the burrow during the hottest part of the day and throughout the coldest part of the winter to retain their body humidity.
They emerge from the burrow mostly at night to feed on mole crabs and coquina.
They also eat a wide range of items, including carrion, debris and turtle hatchlings.
OBB Training program aims to build capacity of the persons working at Ecotourism sites on acquiring knowledge on local biodiversity and to disseminate it to the tourists in an interesting manner.
This exercise sends a positive message about the sites to different parts of the country through the Eco-tourists which will eventually lead to greater tourist inflow.
Rissia Nature Camp is situated inside the Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary where the Rissia dam is a major attraction for the tourists and a favorable habitat of migratory birds during winter season.
In fact it has been reported that the presence of wolf, Indian Gaur, Chital, barking deer, hyena, sambar, wild pig could be detected in around the camp.
This place is unique for the presence of natural and planted mangrove forests situated close to the mouth of river Subarnarekha in the State of Odisha on the east coast of India.
Presence of mangroves, virgin casuarinas forests along the coast, healthy beach, plenty of Red Ghost crabs, Horseshoe crabs, mud skippers, Granular Ark, migratory birds during winter as well as the resident birds, boating in the tidal creeks, nature’s trail is very interesting from tourists’ point of view.