Bandhavgarh To Bring 50 Bisons To Boost Gene Pool

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): To maintain the diverse gene pool, Bandhavgarh National Park is going to get 50 bisons from Satpura National Park. Translocation of bisonS, also known as Gaur, is likely to take place next month.

Deputy director of Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve (BTR), Prakash Kumar Verma told Free Press that plan is afoot to bring 50 bisons from Satpura Tiger Reserve for better genetic variation.

A large and diverse gene pool will help bison to help various health related challenges in a better manner, he added. The Bandhavgarh authorities told Free Press that in 2011-12 fifty bison were shifted from Kanha National Park and now their population stands around 170.

However, all Bison belong to Kanha and hence have almost the same gene pool. A study conducted on Bandhavgarh bison suggests that for a better gene pool, there is a need to bring Bison from some place barring Kanha. Hence, a decision was taken to shift Bison from Satpura Tiger Reserve, the officials in the know of the matter said.

Once Bison used to move on the soil of Bandhavgarh Tiger reserve but decades ago they disappeared all of a sudden. It was in the year 2011-12 that a decision was taken to shift bison from Kanha to Bandhavgarh under the bison relocation plan. Now Bandhavgarh is having a thriving population of bison.