Indian Bison Sighted Again At Nambor Wildlife Sanctuary

NUMALIGARH: After many years, herds of the elusive Indian Bison were seen again at Nambor Wildlife Sanctuary in Golaghat.

One of the largest species of wild cattle, Bos Gaurus (scientific name), also known as ‘Methun’ in Assamese, has been classified as vulnerable category in the ‘Red List’ of threatened species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The average weight of an adult male of the species is between 600 kg to 1500 kg while the weight of an adult female is between 400 kg to 1000 kg.

According to some reports, there were only a dozen Indian Bisons in Nambor Wildlife Sanctuary in 2002. This species was struggling hard for its survival against all the odds like poaching and being hit by fast moving vehicles on NH-39. In two different heart-rending incidents in 2001 and 2004, two Bisons were brutally killed by ill-minded people near the sanctuary. In 2002, a large Bison was killed by a fast-moving vehicle on NH-39. Due to these reasons, the population of the wild cattle was decreasing in a way that it was believed that they might become extinct in the sanctuary very soon.

One or two stranded males were seen at some areas of the sanctuary in recent years. Bisons are found in the Western Ghats, in particular Nagarhole, Bandhipur and Mudhumalai complexes. They also found in few Indian national parks (Nagarhole National Park, Bandhipur National Park, and Mudumalai National Park). According to data of Kaziranga National Park (web-data based), there are almost 30 Bisons divided into multiple herds in the park.

Meanwhile, sighting of around the same number of Bisons in the Dohoni side of Nambor Wildlife Sanctuary brings new hope to the environment activists of the region.

Since the last month, two or three herds of these giant wild cattle were seen in Nambor Wildlife Sanctuary in the Thuramukh-Dohoni area. Diseases of domestic cattle are also a threat to the survival of the wild cattle as they often come to fields near the human-populated areas for grazing. Insufficient number of forest personnel in the Juriadolong Forest Beat office under Golaghat Forest Division is also a matter of grave concern for protection of wildlife in Nambor Wildlife Sanctuary. Presence of these endangered Bisons and elephants in human-populated areas recently is alarming and may result in occur of intense human-animal conflict in the coming days.

Without basic facilities for human survival, the Hurhuria Forest Camp inside the sanctuary has been abandoned since almost a year. A forest personnel of the beat office said, “This forest camp plays a vital role in protecting the forest and wildlife but due to shortage of manpower and absence of basic facilities of solar power, drinking water and sanitation, no one has been deployed in the camp since a year.”

Also Read: Illegal Activities Pose Threat To Biodiversity of Nambor Wildlife Sanctuary