MANGALDOI, May 9 � The Orang National Park in Darrang district, the only natural habitat of the one-horned rhino on the northern bank of the Brahmaputra, reportedly saw 172 foreign tourists visiting the park during the last tourist season from November to April. During this six months period a total of 804 Indian tourists visited the park which has a rhino population of about 68. With only November and December months of visitors season being left for this year after the Park authority declared it closed to visitors from May 1 to October 31,the revenue collected in the current calendar year is Rs 1,41,520, informed Selim Ahmed, the range officer of the park.
Unfortunately both the figures of visitors as well as the revenue collection seem to be little poor in comparison to the records of the previous years. In 2009 the number of foreign visitors was reportedly 1591 while the number of domestic visitors was 321 in that year the revenue collection was Rs 3,19,925.
Similarly in the year 2008 the park witnessed 225 foreign visitors and 1468 Indian visitors while the revenue collection was as Rs 2,35,810. Although the overall response from the visitors during the last season was not so encouraging, the �Park authority is very much hopeful of crossing the previous year figure in the remaining two months of November and December.