Ready for headcount

Siliguri, Feb. 17: The forest department will for the first time conduct a bison census in Gorumara National Park and Chapramari Wildlife Sanctuary later this month.

“As more and more bison are spotted in Gorumara and Chapramari, we have decided to count the animals. Though we had carried out the census of rhinos in the forest earlier, this is for first time that an exercise will be carried out to count the bison,” said Tapas Das, the divisional forest officer of wildlife II.

The officer said there might be around 1,000 bison in Gorumara and Chapramari and nearby forests. Apart from the bison, the foresters will count rhinos also.

“During a census in 2008, 31 rhinos had been found in Gorumara,” he said.

Members of different wildlife NGOs, too, will be engaged, along with the guards, to conduct the census.

“The count will be conducted on February 25 and 26. Necessary training will be imparted to the foresters and NGO representatives assigned with the task at Lataguri on February 22,” Das said.

“About 60 to 70 teams will participate in the drive and there will be at least five members in each group. The survey will be conducted from 6am to 10am,” he said.

No indirect methods will be used to conduct the survey.

“The animals will be recorded only on sight. Apart from the bison and the rhinos, other animals found during the survey will also be recorded,” said Das.