Bhubaneswar: Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary has 659 Indian gaurs or bisons, a Schedule I species, in its habitat, according to a bison count report released by wildlife wing Saturday. This is the first time a gaur census was conducted in Debrigarh.
Indian gaurs are prime prey for carnivores in any habitat. They are particularly suitable for big cats, such as Royal Bengal Tigers and leopards. Out of 659 adult gaurs, 210 are juveniles, which is a good indication of their healthy breeding. Due to the vast expanse of natural meadows and water sources, they breed comfortably, leading to population growth. Altogether, they are present in 52 herds spread along the shoreline of Hirakud reservoir bordering Debrigarh. An adult gaur can weigh up to 1,500 kg, official sources said.
Wildlife officials reported that female gaurs moving with calves in herds were also sighted during the census. “A landscape-wide census exercise was carried out using the direct observation technique from 6 am to 6 pm by 53 census units with 114 team members. It was conducted on foot along the forest routes, animal trails, water bodies, grasslands, and saltlicks,” said Anshu Pragyan Das, divisional forest officer, Hirakud wildlife division.
She said each beat in the sanctuary was divided into various tiny segments, which were covered by separate teams to avoid overlapping. “The tourism zone in the sanctuary recorded presence of more than 100 gaurs in six herds, including a few massively built adult bulls. Sex classification couldn’t be done due to difficulty in identifying sighted animals from a distance in the dense forest,” Das added.
Officials said Debrigarh boasts of more than 60 seasonal and perennial creeks and streams, valleys, and plains. Some important streams are Badjor, Singhduda, Manchapuran, Bhalukukur, Aapkhol, and the Hirakud wetland itself, which serves as natural water purifiers for the sanctuary animals.
Bisons feed on normal meadows and plants like bamboo, siali, palas, rai, gambhari, sirisa, sal, kanteikoli, bela, genduli, sisoo, baranga, bara, as well as fruits, leaves, bark, and young shoots. They are known to feed mostly on grasses or plants that are nutritious during certain seasons.
The sanctuary is now completely devoid of human pressure inside the core after relocation of all villages from it in 2022. Due to focused grassland management, no human-gaur conflict incidents have been reported so far.