Butterfly museum in Dalhousie draws tourists, researchers

Balkrishan Prashar

Dalhousie, March 20

A team led by Forest Range Officer Sanjeev Kumar has taken an initiative to research and conserve butterfly species found in Bhattiyat area, which falls under the Dalhousie forest division of Chamba district.

There are around 120 species of butterflies in the Bhattiyat forest range, including ‘Danaid eggfly’, which is included in Schedule-I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Photographs of 57 of these species have been displayed in the recently set up forest museum at Sihunta in Bhattiyat. Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania inaugurated the butterfly museum at Sihunta on January 24.

The museum has become a popular centre of attraction among researchers and tourists. The main purpose of documenting butterflies is to demonstrate the quality of environment and highlight need for forest conservation. Butterflies are an important part of our ecosystem, helping in pollination and complementing biodiversity.

The range officer says the idea of butterfly conservation came to him during his 18-month training course as forest range officer at the Tamil Nadu Forest Academy in Coimbatore. After completing his training, he started working on the conservation of butterflies in Bhattiyat forest range in July 2021.

An expert in butterflies, Lavish Garlani, has played a key role in scientific nomenclature of the discovered butterflies. Some wild fruits from which butterflies get food are also kept in the forest museum.

The range officer says Garlani gives the expert opinion for the documentation of butterfly species. He says butterflies are found in this forest range at a height of around 500-metre to 3500-m.

Garlani says he has been working on the species of butterflies for the past 12 years. His main work is based on butterfly larvae and interaction with host plants.

The butterfly expert says, “It is estimated that about 430 species of butterflies may have existed in Himachal Pradesh over the last 100 years.” There is a possibility that 120 to 130 butterfly species have existed in Bhattiyat area, he adds.

120 species found in Bhattiyat area

• Experts estimate about 430 species of butterflies may have existed in state over the last 100 years.
• There are around 120 species of butterflies in the Bhattiyat forest range, including ‘Danaid eggfly’, which is included in Schedule-I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.