Forest authorities are trying to boost the near-extinct bison population in Saranda

Jamshedpur, June 23: After the saal trees, it is now the turn of the bison in Saranda forest to do the vanishing act.

Forest authorities said the wild animals were on the verge of extinction in the forest. No bison has been spotted in any division of the forest since 1983, they said.

“Saranda had a huge bison population. The climatic condition and the thick vegetation in the forest made it an idle habitat for bison. But over the years, their number started dwindling primarily due to poaching and now the situation is such that the animal is on the verge of extinction in the forest,” the official said.

“Bison belongs to the cow family. As a result it is prone to diseases like foot and mouth and anthrax, which also contributed to the death of the wild animals,” the official said.

Forest officials have decided to request national parks across the country to donate bison to Saranda.

Officials said they would try to bring the wild animals from Palamau and subsequently approach authorities at Simlipal national forest in Orissa, Bastar forest in Chhattisgarh and Periar National Forest in Kerala.

“Tests are being conducted on different species of the cow family across the world. The experiments aim at keeping cows and buffaloes disease-free. We hope the tests will boost the bison population in Saranda forest,” an official said.