Kendrapara, Nov. 18: In the first mammal survey conducted at Bhitarkanika National Park, 3,085 spotted deer and wild boars were sighted. It also revealed that the number of hyena, fishing cats, wolf, mongoose, jungle cat and fox was alarmingly low.

While 1,872 spotted deer were found in the national park, 1,213 wild boars were spotted. These mammals have adapted to Bhitarkanika’s environment, said a forest official.

Often, the spotted deer and wild boars stray into villages situated near the park, destroy crops and trigger man-animal conflicts. Recurring conflict following the animals straying into human settlements are indicator of a rise in their numbers, the official said.

Deer and boars apart, Bhitarkanika is home to nearly 2,000 monkeys, hyenas, jackals and fishing cats, the report said. Altogether, 4,740 mammals have been spotted in the park.

“The number of hyenas, fishing cats, wolves, mongooses, jungle cats and foxes are is very low. However, it does not mean that they are endangered in the national park. The census of this nature has been conducted for the first time to study the growth pattern of mammals living in the core area. We are planning to carry out another survey next year to assess the population pattern of the mammals,” Kedar Kumar Swain, forest officer of Rajnagar mangrove (wildlife) forest division, said.

“Census would help us analyse the animals’ behavioural pattern,” Swain said.

The mangrove forest has turned out to be an ideal habitat for mammals. However, there is an imbalance in predator-prey ratio with the absence of predators such as tiger here, said an official.