SAMBALPUR: The second edition of the Indian Bison Fest was hosted at Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary here on Sunday.
More than 600 people from across western Odisha including wildlife enthusiasts, photographers, villagers and students participated in the festival which was organised to celebrate the conservation of Indian bison (gaur) and its growing presence in Debrigarh-Hirakud landscape.
The festival featured expert discussions on the Indian bison and a wildlife documentary screening. Frontline forest staff were also honoured during the event, with awards presented to the best-performing foresters and forest guards for their contribution to gaur conservation and protection. Prizes were also presented to the winners of drawing competitions held for school and college students.
A special attraction of this year’s event was the introduction of night camping, allowing visitors to experience the sanctuary’s wilderness after sunset. On Sunday evening, the participants of the fest experienced a 2.5-hour gaur safari followed by stargazing sessions. They will visit the Bat Island and Island Cafe on Monday, where they can safely observe more than 1,000 fruit bats (flying foxes).
Hirakud wildlife division DFO Anshu Pragyan Das said, “The steady rise in gaur population at Debrigarh is a positive indicator of a healthy ecosystem. Our focus remains on habitat restoration, grassland management and continuous monitoring so that the sanctuary can serve as a secure breeding landscape and a long-term source population for bison conservation.”
Among those present at the event were IG (Northern Range) Himansu Lal, noted bison expert K Shankar, wildlife enthusiasts along with members of around 90 eco-development committees from villages adjoining the sanctuary.
Notably, Debrigarh has emerged as a key conservation landscape for the Indian bison in eastern India. The latest census conducted in January recorded 848 gaurs in the sanctuary.