The Andhra Pradesh State Wildlife Department has kick-started the first-ever survey of blackbucks along a stretch of islands in the Godavari between Dowleswaram and Yanam with the goal of drawing up a conservation plan to protect the endangered species.
The survey was mooted in the wake of scores of blackbucks getting stranded on the islands that have been hit by the Godavari floods.
The islands surrounded by the branches of the Godavari, such as the Gowthami, Vasista, Vainteya and Vridha Gowthami, in Konaseema and East Godavari districts are a major habitat for blackbucks, which roam across the region close to human habitations. There have been instances of blackbucks getting poached downstream of Dowleswaram.
