Tourists can get a rare view of blackbucks during their visit to Chandaka forest on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar as the endangered species would be added to the forest this year.
The Forest & Environment Department has decided to release as many as 50 to 100 blackbucks on an experimental basis into the wild to increase their number in the Chandaka forest.
More blackbucks would be relocated to Chandaka after success of the experiment, an official said.
An assessment is being made to see whether blackbucks can be settled in this environment, he added.
As the blackbuck population has significantly increased to 4,082 in the State, the authorities are planning to relocate them into various forests including Chandaka.
According to a census, the number of blackbucks rose to 4,082 in the Balipadar-Bhetnoi areas of Ganjam district this year from 3,806 in 2014-15 and 2,100 in 2011-12.
Recently, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF) (Wildlife) Sandeep Tripathy had stated that blackbucks would be shifted to the Puri and Chandaka Forest Divisions. Notably, there is no blackbuck at the Puri-Konark Balukhand Wildlife Sanctuary now.