KENDRAPARA: The three-day dolphin census will kick off at Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary and its nearby areas in Kendrapara from January 20 to 23. Nine teams will be engaged in the enumeration exercise even as the census report will depend heavily on sighting forms. The team members will scout the marine sanctuary and nearby water bodies of Bhitarkanika to count the dolphins, informed forest range officer Pradosh Moharana.
The enumerators will use GPS to map the exact location of the dolphins during the census, the officer added. Gahirmatha was declared a marine sanctuary in 1997 by the state government to protect the endangered Olive Ridley sea turtles at Gahirmatha beach.As per the census last year, 550 dolphins, including six Irrawaddy, 281 bottlenose, 208 humpback, 52 striped and three spinner species were found in the park, Moharana added.