Thekkady: Forest Department preparing trek path

KOCHI: As part of wildlife conservation and awareness creation among the people, the Forest Department will open a trekking path, ‘Nature Trail’, in Thekkady soon. The 2.5 km path through the forest, starting from Thekkady gate to boat landing, will have informative boards about plants and sculpted figures of animals in the Periyar Tiger Reserve.“The forest path will provide information about plants endemic to the Periyar forest and requires conservation. We will also provide information about the animals and birds found here. There are 62 species of mammals, 320 species of birds, 45 species of reptiles, 27 species of amphibians, 38 species of fish and 160 butterfly species,” Periyar Tiger Reserve Deputy Director Sanjayan Kumar said.“Tourists walking through the path will be directed by animal trails, which pass through evergreen and moist deciduous forests interspersed with marshy grasslands. The information boards and sculptures of the animals will be placed in the path. This is an excellent opportunity to know about wildlife in the Periyar forest.”The path will be created with a budget of `50 lakh, and the work will be completed in three months. “Tourists will be charged between `200-250. We will ensure that people won’t litter plastic in the area,” a forest official said.