In large parts of Balipahar, Bhetanai, Buguda, Purushottampur and Polasara areas of the district one often comes across whole families of black bucks roaming as freely as dogs in the neighbourhood, courtesy, people of these areas. They never kill a deer. The black buck is hailed as a harbinger of good times and people expect a good crop yield if these animals are spotted. So committed are the people to protect the black buck that a management committee was formed two years ago.

But in spite of the committee, black buck protection has been a tradition here. The people have been working for this for more than three decades. It has not been without its rewards. Not only the black buck population in the region increased from 558 in 1988 to 788 in 2004, it also fetched for the protectors the highest wildlife conservation award in the State. The black buck population in the region, spread across 85 villages in nine blocks of the district, is considered to be highest in India after the Velavadar sanctuary in Saurashtra.