Chitwan, June 10

Chitwan National Park, a popular tourist destination, has witnessed an encouraging growth in the population of Indian bison over the past five years.

The park’s Assistant Conservation Officer Nurendra Aryal said that 56 more Indian bisons, also known as gaur, were found in the latest count this year.

“The latest count conducted in April this year shows that there are now 368 gaur in the national park, up from 312 as per the previous count in 2011.”

Presenting detailed findings from the count, Aryal said of the total number of gaur, 115 are males, and 148 are females. The deployed team, however, has yet to verify the sex of 105 gaur, including 33 calves.

For the census, 125 people, including technicians and 25 elephants, were deployed in the national park, and the park was divided into 13 blocks. The team used the ‘head count’ method, which Aryal says is useful in finding the status of a particular species and devise an appropriate strategy for its protection.

The national park’s Chief Conservation Officer Ramchandra Kandel expressed happiness at the increase in gaur population over the years, and attributed the same to the fact that the park is a suitable habitat for the animals, and poaching has now been completely curbed.

The Gaur lives in sal forests at a moderate altitude, especially on the Chure range. The animals are also found in Parsa Wildlife Reserve, where its population has reached 112, against only 21 back in 2011.