A population estimation study reveals a staggeringly high number of cattle on the streets of urban Raipur in India

Cattle are cosmopolitan in distribution. They are economically and ecologically significant. The cattle menace on the urban streets of developing and underdeveloped countries is challenging. The number of road accidents is increasing rapidly over time, in the urban areas of most of the developing countries, like India. In the present study, we estimated the population of cattle wandering on the streets/roads/highways of Raipur city of India using the direct headcount method and advanced Photographic Capture-Recapture Method (PCRCM). We compared these two methods of population estimation to check their suitability and adequacy. We superimposed 163 grids (1.0 x 1.0 km each) on the map of Raipur city using Quantum Geographic Information System (QGIS) software. We randomly selected 20 grids for the estimation of the street cattle population. We used both line transect and block count sampling techniques under the direct headcount method. The estimates of visibly roaming cattle on the Raipur city streets were 11808.45 and 11198.30 using the former and the latter sampling techniques, respectively. Further, advanced PCRCM indicated an estimated 35149.61 and 34623.20 cattle using the line transect and block counting sampling techniques, respectively. We observed a female-biased sex ratio in both mature and immature cattle. The frequency of mature cattle was significantly higher than that of naive cattle, followed by the calf. Further, we noticed the frequency of cattle in a grid in the following order: cow > bull > heifer > immature male > female calf > male calf. We concluded that the estimated population of street cattle in Raipur city is about 35 thousand. The results of both the techniques, i.e., direct headcount method and PCRCM, are consistent for population estimation. The direct headcount method yields the number of cattle visibly roaming on the street at a particular time. In contrast, advanced PCRCM gives the total population of street cattle in the city. Active surveillance of the urban cattle population might be of critical importance for municipal and city planners. A better understanding of the urban cattle population might help mitigate the cattle menace on the street, eventually preventing cattle-human conflict and minimizing road accidents. The techniques adopted in this study will also help estimate the population of free-ranging dogs and other wildlife animals in any target location.