They are the largest wild cattle on Earth — standing nearly two metres at the shoulder, with muscular bodies built for India's forests and grasslands. The **gaur** (*Bos gaurus*), also called the Indian bison, once ranged across South and Southeast Asia in great numbers. Today, an Odisha sanctuary is showing exactly what conservation success looks like.
The third census of gaurs at **Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary** — conducted January 5–7, 2026 — counted **848 individuals** across the sanctuary's 353 square kilometres. That's a rise of **189 animals from the first census** in November 2024, when 659 gaurs were recorded: a **28% increase in just over a year**.
Today, March 8, 2026, the sanctuary celebrates that achievement with the **second Indian Bison Fest** — a public festival honouring the gaur and the conservation work that has made it thrive.
**How They Count 848 Wild Bison**
The census was no small operation. Forest officials deployed **155 personnel daily** from 5 AM to 5 PM across 73 survey units. The team used a direct count method, supported by **213 permanent inspection points** and **103 camera traps** to ensure accuracy and prevent double-counting.
What they found told a story of genuine success.
The 848 gaurs were spread across **69 herds**, with herd sizes ranging from 6 to 25 animals. Range-wise data showed 444 gaurs in 31 herds in the Kamgaon wildlife range and 404 in 38 herds in the Lakhanpur range. In the 50 square-kilometre safari zone — the area where tourists come to spot wildlife — 98 gaurs across eight herds were counted regularly.
**The Sign That Really Matters**
Of the 848 gaurs counted, **235 were juveniles** — animals below two years of age. That's nearly **30% of the entire population**.
In wildlife conservation, juvenile proportions are one of the clearest indicators of population health. When young animals make up close to a third of a population, it means breeding is robust, calves are surviving, and the population has genuine momentum.
Divisional forest officer Anshu Pragyan Das highlighted something particularly striking: unlike some regions where gaur breeding is seasonal, Debrigarh's gaurs breed **year-round**. Each range maintains a monthly register of newborn gaurs — science-based management that allows rangers to track calving patterns in real time.
**The Conservation Recipe**
Forest officials attribute the consistent growth to focused habitat management: grassland restoration, wetland maintenance, and strategic improvement of feeding areas. The sanctuary has maintained a strict boundary against encroachment, and engagement with local communities has ensured the animals are protected on multiple fronts.
The census cycle itself — conducted every six months since November 2024 — is unusual for Indian wildlife management and reflects the sanctuary's commitment to data-driven conservation. Regular counts allow rapid response to any threats, rather than waiting years between surveys.
**An Animal Worth Celebrating**
The gaur deserves to be better known. An adult bull can weigh over 1,500 kilograms — heavier than a water buffalo, larger than an American bison. They move through forest with a slow, deliberate power that has made them a centrepiece of wildlife tourism at Debrigarh.
Safari visitors frequently encounter herds of gaur moving through the forest — an experience that rangers say never gets ordinary. Watching 848 of them thrive, with hundreds of calves being born and surviving, is exactly what successful conservation looks like in practice.
The Indian Bison Fest today is a celebration of all of that — and of the rangers, scientists, and local communities who made it happen. 🐃🌿
*Sources: New Indian Express (January 2026) · Times of India · Debrigarh Wildlife Division / Hirakud Wildlife Division · Odisha Forest Department*
