Tripura gears up for Butterfly tourism with more than 250 species

According to the experts in the field of WildLife and environment, Butterflies are deemed to be the indicators of a good ecological balance and healthy nature. In Tripura, the forest department has decided to promote butterflies as an aspect of tourism development in the state. As of now, the only available information regarding Tripura Butterflies was that there was one butterfly park at Trishna where people from different parts of the state even from an outside state visit to experience soothing appearance of butterflies in swarms moving from one side of the park to another.

But, now it has been realized that Butterflies could also become a good tourism prospect for the state. According to a highly placed source in Tripura Forest Department said, “There are ample scopes of promoting Butterflies as a tourist attraction in Tripura. The state, which has its own variety of vegetation having many plants with medicinal values grown here naturally, shelters more than 250 species of Butterflies. All these Butterflies have their own specific character and give the spectator an unforgettable experience”.

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Requesting anonymity, the source also said, after finding a first lot of survey, it has been realized that a detailed survey should take place to have an explicit idea of the spots where the butterflies are seen frequently. In Tripura, he continued, the department has carried out a survey across the length and breadth of the state and 28-odd places scattered all over the state have been mapped as the spots where Butterflies are seen very frequently. On being asked specifically, he said, there are no exact spots but the density of butterflies is more in Gomati and South Tripura district albeit sites are also there in North and Dhalai. Whereas, West and Khowai also have a sizable number of sites, he told this newsman.

However, a research scholar in the butterflies working with a reputed wildlife NGO said, “There are no endemic species in Tripura. The species which can be seen here are found almost in some parts of Assam and a few more North Eastern states but what is exactly beautiful about Tripura, the state is a shelter house of more than many rare butterfly species which are rarely spotted in other parts of globe for their highly elusive nature”.

The Scholar who wished to remain anonymous as his research was dedicated to the NGO Trust, also added, “There are some species which I have spotted once in 5 years. The species which have enlisted is not a conclusive figure but a cumulative one. I feel there many more species of Butterflies in Tripura which are still to be traced or spotted”.

He also said that since Tripura was never under the British rule, no documentation was done pertaining to the Butterflies there but in other states, they had some base data as the British arrived or researchers came over in search of Butterflies. “During the British rule, some documentation on Butterfly was done. But since Tripura was a princely state then and joined Indian territory after independence there might have been no research as no data of that period was found available in the public domain”, said the scholar.

Meanwhile, in its endeavor to promote Butterfly, Tripura Forest Department declared “Common Birdwing” as the state Butterfly only recently and took some token steps to promote the pristine insect as a tool to attract tourists.

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