Kendrapara: Forest personnel of Bhitarkanika National Park are going to facilitate the enumeration drive of dolphins January 19 within Rajnagar mangrove (wildlife) division, said Srirampada Arabinda Mishra, ACF-cum-range in charge of Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary.
The forest personnel are all set to organize the dolphin status survey from Dhamara to Mahanadi mouth on the Odisha coast within Bhitarkanika mangrove wetland. The census would also help to provide basic information about migrating behaviour of Irrawaddy Dolphins as well as other species. For the fifth consecutive year, the dolphin census drive is going to be held at Bhitarkanika, added Mishra.
The enumeration team will get training of how to count dolphins January 18. The coastline of Bhitarkanika is said to be a favourable habitat for Irrawaddy Dolphins next to Chilika.
According to forest officials, at least six species of cetaceans from these diverse wetland habitats namely Irrawaddy Dolphin, Bottlenose Dolphin, Humpback Dolphin (Sousa chinensis), Humpback Dolphin (Sousa plumbea), Pan-tropical Spotted Dolphin and Finless Porpoises were spotted by the enumerators earlier.
PNN