With an aim to register more species in the fauna list of Bhitarkanika National Park, the forest authorities here are all set to hold dolphin counting on Sunday from Dhamara to Devi mouth coming under the Park jurisdiction, said Rajnagar Mangrove (Forest) and Wildlife Division DFO Bimal Prasanna Acharya. As many as nine teams have been formed to carry out the enumeration drive for the first time.
According to Acharya, five types of dolphin species are found in the river and the shorelines connected with park. Especially Irrawaddy, Bottle-nose, Gangetic, Humpback and Finless porpoise dolphins have earlier been sighted in the coastal ecosystem of Bhitrakanika National Park. Apart from this, whether other dolphin species, like Risso’s and Spinner dolphin, exist in the Odisha coast or not are to be studied this time, said the DFO.