Blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra)

• Context (DTE): Over two dozen waterholes are filled with water using tankers for blackbucks of Bihar’s Bhojpur, Buxar and Rohtas districts.

• Also known as Indian Antelope, it is the sole extant member of the genus Antilope.
• Formerly widespread across almost the whole of the Indian subcontinent, they are now limited to only small, scattered herds in Nepal, India and Pakistan.

Physical Features

• Blackbucks have slender and elegant bodies, pointed and delicate hooves and possess narrow, sheep-like muzzles and short tails.
• Their colouration depends on gender: the back, the sides, and the outer side of the legs are rich dark brown in males and yellowish in females.
• Both males and females have white underparts including the insides of the legs as well as a white ring around their eyes.

Characteristics

• They are seen in groups of 7-10. A mature female is generally the group leader.
• It is diurnal (active mainly during the day).
• They are considered as one of the fastest running animals on earth.

Habitat and Range

• Prefers tropical and subtropical savanna/rangeland and grassland.
• May also inhabit dry deciduous forest, woodland, semi-desert habitats, riverbanks and pasture.
• It is also found at the foothills of the Himalayas where the climate is moderate and jungles are not very dense.
• In India, they are found predominantly in the states of Gujarat, Punjab, Rajasthan and Haryana.

Conservation Status

• IUCN: Least Concern | WPA, 1972: Schedule I | CITES: Appendix III
• Threats: Excessive hunting, deforestation and habitat degradation.
• It has been declared as the State Animal of Punjab, Haryana, and Andhra Pradesh.

Significance in Indian Culture

• The antelope might have been a source of food in the Indus Valley civilisation (3300–1700 BCE); bone remains have been discovered in sites such as Dholavira and Mehrgarh.
• The blackbuck is routinely depicted in miniature paintings of the Mughal era (16th to 19th centuries) depicting royal hunts often using cheetahs.
• Tribes such as the Bishnois revere and care for the blackbuck.