Blackbuck census conducted in Ganjam district of Odisha

Sources said the blackbuck population in the district is on the rise for the last five years.

Published: 30th January 2023 10:10 AM  |   Last Updated: 30th January 2023 10:10 AM   |  A+A-

Signature, office, pen, documents, registration

Image used for representational purpose only. (Pexels)

By Express News Service

BERHAMPUR: The biannual census of blackbucks in Ganjam district, the sole habitat of the endangered animal in the state, was conducted on Sunday. Over 500 enumerators divided into 100 teams were engaged in the exercise in Berhampur, Ghumusar South and Ghumusur North forest divisions. DFO of Ghumusar South Dillip Rout said the census started at 6 am and concluded by noon. The blackbucks are protected under schedule-1 of Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and considered vulnerable as per the Red Data Book.

Sources said the blackbuck population in the district is on the rise for the last five years. As per the census conducted in 2021, the district had 7,358 blackbucks including 4,196 females. The number is believed to have risen further this year in the 10 ranges (five in Ghumusar South, two in Ghumusar North and three in Berhampur).

Apart from the Bishnoi community of western Rajasthan and Vala Rajputs of Saurashtra in Gujarat, people of Ganjam, especially from Balipadar-Bhetanai near Aska, have been protecting the blackbucks which are associated with their history, folklore and religious sentiments, said Berhampur DFO Amlan Nayak. The people of the region believe that the sighting of blackbucks in paddy farms is harbinger of good luck for them, said president of the Blackbuck Protection Committee (Ganjam) Amulya Upadhyaya.



Comments

Disclaimer : We respect your thoughts and views! But we need to be judicious while moderating your comments. All the comments will be moderated by the newindianexpress.com editorial. Abstain from posting comments that are obscene, defamatory or inflammatory, and do not indulge in personal attacks. Try to avoid outside hyperlinks inside the comment. Help us delete comments that do not follow these guidelines.

The views expressed in comments published on newindianexpress.com are those of the comment writers alone. They do not represent the views or opinions of newindianexpress.com or its staff, nor do they represent the views or opinions of The New Indian Express Group, or any entity of, or affiliated with, The New Indian Express Group. newindianexpress.com reserves the right to take any or all comments down at any time.

flipboard facebook twitter whatsapp