Numbers of endangered blackbuck in the Bhanjanagar south division in Ganjam district has doubled within a period of four years, forest official sources said. According to the latest census data, there are 3,303 blackbucks seen in Aska, Buguda, and Polsara forest range under the Bhanjanagar south division against 1,533 during 2011 census. The division houses as many as 830 male, 2018 female and 455 young ones, a forest official revealed.
The census data revealed that Buguda forest range has 395 male, 1009 female and 235 young ones and Polsara range has 113 male, 282 female and 61 young. Similarly, in the Aska range, 322 male, 727 female and 159 young antelopes are there taking the total figure to 1208. To enumerate the species, 66 teams consisting of four members each were dispatched to Aska forest range (25 teams), Buguda (26 teams), Polsara (8 teams) and Ghumshar division (7 teams).
While these forest ranges showed remarkable increase in blackbuck population, the enumeration data from Ghumshar south division was awaited as census is underway in this area, said a forest official. As many as 300 people including Ghumshar South Division DFO Ranjit Kumar Mallick, Assistant Conservator of Forests Santosh Kumar Mohapatra and volunteers participated in the enumeration drive.