By V. Shourabh

Tourists visiting Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary at Srirangapatna can utilise the newly-renovated Dr. Salim Ali Information Centre at the entrance of the sanctuary. The information centre educates people about the sanctuary, its history and the birds.

The information centre has models of birds and crocodiles and has pictorial representation of various birds, its characteristics and identifications. It has detailing about the kind of beaks and feet different birds have and how they use these as a tool for survival and hunting purposes.

It has a display of the map of the entire Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary with different islands clearly carved out.  One section of the Information Centre is a setup of the island model on which a crocodile model and a few bird models are seen giving a visual representation of what the Bird Sanctuary is all about.

DCF Yedukondalu said, “This Information Centre is an interpretation centre. It acts as a guide to the public and tourists and gives them information about various aspects of the bird sanctuary and the birds in particular. It gives details about the nesting birds, migratory birds and their patterns.”

He said, “This centre was inaugurated in 2015 but recently we renovated it, giving it a new look. It now has pictorial representations and models too. People gain information about the birds, their nesting pattern, beak structures, the kind of different feet the birds have and the purpose behind such feet, etc. We have also provided information about the feather pattern and colour of different birds.”

The centre also has information where people learn about the sounds of birds and they can get to know about the voice calls of different birds with the press of a button. The interpretation centre is about 50 feet in length and 30 feet in breadth. It aims to impart people about birds and the sanctuary, he added.

Electronic Quiz Board

The attractive and interactive information centre caters to various aspects of ornithology. The centre also tests your knowledge about birds and has an Electronic Quiz Board.

Tourists visiting the bird sanctuary can make use of this facility in order to have a better experience of the sanctuary and gain adequate knowledge about birds present there.