Cattle Island, Sambalpur, Orissa India

Cattle Island is a submerged hill in the Hirakud reservoir, near the Kumarbandh village in Sambalpur District, Orissa. This region was a developed village before the construction of the dam. During the resettlement period, the villagers left some of their cows and bulls, which eventually settled down on the hill top as the nearby area gradually got filled up with reservoir water.

Cattle Island is a submerged hill in the Hirakud reservoir. The island was a developed village prior to the construction of the Hirakud Dam. Once the dam reached completion, the villagers living in the surrounding area were asked to evacuate. The villagers when relocating left a few domesticated cattle behind which were a part of the livestock they owned.

The cattle over time bred and created a wild species of cattle for which humans are the alien species. Nearly all the cattle are white or cream colored, lending an ethereal quality to the entire island. The cattle, being wild, are significantly larger and more ferocious than their domestic counterparts.

They are believed to be blindly fast and protective of their land. Attempts made by man to capture these wild beasts have been in vain so far. Visit the island to see the remnants of a village recaptured and fiercely protected by nature.