Bison count rises by 60 at Odisha's Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary in last 6 months

Bhubaneswar: The bison (Indian gaur) count in the third consecutive census carried out in Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary, Bargarh, has gone up by 60 — from 788 to 848 — in the last six months.The consecutive census every six months since Nov 2024 is aimed at gauging the animals’ breeding pattern. The census — conducted in Nov 2024, May 2025 and Jan 2026— revealed a vital pattern that the bison breed throughout the year, Debrigarh officials said. “We are now focusing on habitat management and other conservation measures,” said chief wildlife warden Prem Kumar Jha.Debrigarh officials said between Nov 2024 and Jan 2026, it recorded an increase of 189 bison, giving a clear indication that gaurs in Debrigarh are breeding round the year. “It is not a seasonal phenomenon in this sanctuary, unlike a few other pockets in India. Every range of the sanctuary is maintaining a monthly register of the number of newborn gaurs,” said Anshu Pragyan Das, divisional forest officer, Hirakud Wildlife Division.Altogether, 73 census units covered 353sqkm of the sanctuary and recorded 848 bison in 69 herds. Out of 848, around 30% are juveniles, less than two years old (235). In the safari zone (the tourism zone spread over 50sqkm), a total of 145 bison in eight herds were seen.Debrigarh officials said the increase in count can be attributed to species-specific habitat management focusing on feeding and other behaviours.Mostly summer marks the breeding season for Indian bison in central and a few other parts of India.Wildlife officials said that bison can migrate long distances, but in Debrigarh, they were seen to display seasonal movement ranging from 5 to 15km per day, keeping their territory mostly intact.The Debrigarh bison are mostly seen along the shoreline of Hirakud reservoir bordering the sanctuary. An adult gaur weighs up to 1,500kg, and they are prime prey of carnivores, particularly big cats such as Royal Bengal Tigers and leopards, officials said.