Mangalore : Isaac Kehimkar, General Manager, Programmes-Bombay Natural History Society inaugurated a beautiful Butter Park at Belvai, a creation of  Sammilan Shetty. This is the first private butterfly park of Karnataka. Sammilan’s website www.butterflyparkbelvai.com was also  inaugurated at the function.

In his address, Kehimkar, lauded the young talent Sammilan for the stupendous efforts in setting up the park.  He said India is host to around 1500 species of butterflies.

The function was presided over by  Dr Shubhalakshmi Vaylure, Deputy Director, BHNS, Mumbai. She said the nation’s first private butterfly park is at Mumbai and the one at Belvai is the second such park.

NA Madhyastha, Member of Karnataka State Wildlife Board, MP Nalin Kumar Kateel, Dr Arunachalam Kumar, Director, Research and Development, Nitte University were the chief guests.

The park is located on a 7.35 acres land  which is Sammilan’s ancestral property  on the foot of Kantavara forest in Belvai. It has 113 species of butterflies. It is open for public from 8.30 am to 12.30 pm on Sundays.