Bhubaneswar/Berhampur: The state government Monday said the endangered blackbuck population in Ganjam district is safe and there has been no casualty of the animal in the flood.
Some of the blackbucks were swept away last week but there has been no casualty, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) Sandeep Tripathy said.
“There has been no casualty. All the blackbucks are safe and under observation of forest officials,” Tripathy said.
The senior forest official’s reaction came in the wake of a disturbing video showing a group of blackbucks being swept away in floodwaters of Kharkhari river in Ganjam district.
The video was reportedly filmed from the Hume-Purushottampur road near Balia in the district.
Tripathy said blackbucks are not generally found in the area where it was shown that they were swept away. The endangered animals could have come from nearby Aska forest range.
Inquiry has revealed that the blackbucks were crossing the Kharkhari July 14, said Berhampur divisional forest officer (DFO) AK Behera.
“The blackbucks had crossed the river and reached on the other side of it,” he said.
The video of a herd of over 50 blackbucks being swept away in the floodwaters of Kharkhari has been making the rounds in the social media.
The population of blackbucks was enumerated at 3,806 in 2015 as against 2,194 in 2011, official sources said.
The enumeration of the animal was conducted in last February, but the number was not declared officially so far, the sources said, adding 25 blackbucks died last year due to various reasons.
PNN