Blackbuck (
Antilope cervicapra) is a species of
antelopeAntelope is a term referring to many even-toed ungulate species found in the family Bovidae. The term does not refer to a monophyletic group, as not all members of Bovidae are considered antelope. Instead, the term refers to a ‘miscellaneous’ group within the family encompassing the species which...
found mainly in
IndiaIndia, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...
, and also in some parts of
PakistanPakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located at the crossroads of South Asia, the Middle East, and Central Asia...
and
NepalNepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia and the world's youngest republic. It is bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
. There are also introduced populations in various parts of the world including numerous ranches in
TexasTexas is the second-largest U.S. state in both area and population, and the largest state in the contiguous United States.The name had wide usage among native Americans, meaning "friends" or "allies"...
in the United States of America; free-ranging populations also exist in
ArgentinaArgentina, officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America, constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires. It is the eighth largest country in the world by land area and the largest among Spanish-speaking nations, though Mexico,...
and in southern
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
The blackbuck, is the provincial animal of India it is known as Krishna Mriga in Kannada and Krishna Jinka in the
Telugu languageTelugu is a Dravidian language native to the Indian subcontinent. It is the official language of Andhra Pradesh, one of the largest states of India. It is also one of the twenty-two scheduled languages of the Republic of India and was conferred the status of a Classical language by the Government...
, has been declared the state animal of
Andhra PradeshAndhra Pradesh , abbreviated A.P., is a state situated on the south-eastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Hyderabad...
.
Blackbuck (
Antilope cervicapra) is a species of
antelopeAntelope is a term referring to many even-toed ungulate species found in the family Bovidae. The term does not refer to a monophyletic group, as not all members of Bovidae are considered antelope. Instead, the term refers to a ‘miscellaneous’ group within the family encompassing the species which...
found mainly in
IndiaIndia, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...
, and also in some parts of
PakistanPakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located at the crossroads of South Asia, the Middle East, and Central Asia...
and
NepalNepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia and the world's youngest republic. It is bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
. There are also introduced populations in various parts of the world including numerous ranches in
TexasTexas is the second-largest U.S. state in both area and population, and the largest state in the contiguous United States.The name had wide usage among native Americans, meaning "friends" or "allies"...
in the United States of America; free-ranging populations also exist in
ArgentinaArgentina, officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America, constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires. It is the eighth largest country in the world by land area and the largest among Spanish-speaking nations, though Mexico,...
and in southern
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
The blackbuck, is the provincial animal of India it is known as Krishna Mriga in Kannada and Krishna Jinka in the
Telugu languageTelugu is a Dravidian language native to the Indian subcontinent. It is the official language of Andhra Pradesh, one of the largest states of India. It is also one of the twenty-two scheduled languages of the Republic of India and was conferred the status of a Classical language by the Government...
, has been declared the state animal of
Andhra PradeshAndhra Pradesh , abbreviated A.P., is a state situated on the south-eastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Hyderabad...
. Other local names for the species include Kala hiran, Sasin, Iralai Maan,and Kalveet in Marathi. It is often simply called
Indian antelope though this term might also be used for other Antilopinae from the region.
Description
Body Length:
Shoulder Height:
Tail Length:
Weight:
The distinctive horns of the Blackbuck are ringed with 1 to 4 spiral turns, rarely more than 4 turns, and can be as long as . A trophy Blackbuck is greater than . In the male, the upper body is black (dark brown), and the belly and eye rings are white. The light-brown female is usually hornless. Blackbucks usually roam the plains in herds of 15 to 20 animals with one dominant male.
On the open plain, the Blackbuck is one of the fastest animals and can outrun most predators over long distances. Its chief predator was the now extinct Indian Cheetah. It is now sometimes preyed upon by wolves, feral dogs, etc.
The diet of the Blackbuck consists mostly of grasses, although it does eat pods, flowers and fruits to supplement its diet. The maximum life span recorded is 16 years and the average is 12 years.
There are four
subspeciesSubspecies in biological classification, is 1) a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, or 2) a taxonomic unit, a taxon in that rank...
or geographic races
- Antilope cervicapra cervicapra
- Antilope cervicapra rajputanae
- Antilope cervicapra centralis
- Antilope cervicapra rupicapra
Albino Blackbucks
AlbinismAlbinism is a form of hypopigmentary congenital disorder, characterized by a partial or total lack of melanin pigment in the eyes, skin and hair, or more rarely...
in Blackbucks is rare and caused by the lack of 'Melanin'. The animal looks fully white due to the lack of melanin in their skin. Wildlife experts say that the biggest problem with these Albinos is that they are singled out by predators and hunted.
Habitat
Originally spread over large tracts of India (except in North East India). Today the Blackbuck population is confined to areas in
MaharashtraMaharashtra is a state located on the western coast of India. Maharashtra is a part of Western India. It is India's third largest state by area and second largest by population....
,
OrissaOrissa , is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of ancient republican nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Indian Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC, that led to a turning point in the Emperor's life when deeply saddened by the bloodshed...
,
PunjabPunjab is a state in northwest India. The Indian state borders the Pakistani province of Punjab to the west, Jammu and Kashmir to the north, Himachal Pradesh to the northeast, Haryana to the south and southeast and Rajasthan to the southwest. The total area of the state is 50,362 square kilometres...
,
RajasthanRājasthān is the largest state of the Republic of India in terms of area. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with Pakistan...
,
HaryanaHaryana is a state in northern India. It is bordered by Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to the north, and by Rajasthan to the west and south. Eastern border to Uttarakhand & Uttar Pradesh is defined by river Yamuna. Haryana also surrounds Delhi on three sides, forming the northern, western and...
,
GujaratGujarat is the westernmost state in India. It is home to the Gujarati speaking people of India. The state encompasses major sites of the Indus Valley Civilization such as Lothal and Dholavira. Gujarat played an important role in the economic history of India throughout the history of India...
,
Andhra PradeshAndhra Pradesh , abbreviated A.P., is a state situated on the south-eastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Hyderabad...
,
Tamil NaduTamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai . Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by Puducherry , Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh...
and
KarnatakaKarnataka is a state in the southern part of India. It was created on November 1, 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act...
with a few small pockets in Central India. Its original habitat is open plain and not dense jungles.
Several species of Indian deer and antelope were brought to the United States, specifically Texas, during the early part of the 20th century for the purpose of hunting and breeding. Some of these included Blackbuck, Axis Deer, or Chital Deer as they are called in India,
BarasinghaThe Barasingha or Barasinga is a species of deer, native to India and Nepal. In Assam in the North-East India, barasingha is traditionally known as dolhorina, similar to its English name as dol in Assamese means swamp. In Central India it is called goinjak or gaoni...
, and
NilgaiThe Nilgai is an antelope, and is one of the most commonly seen wild animals of central and northern India and eastern Pakistan; it is also present in parts of southern Nepal. The mature males appear ox-like and are also known as Blue bulls...
. These species, plus many others, can now be found on private hunting ranches and freely roaming the Hill Country and surroundings areas in Texas. Game ranch raised blackbucks are so thriving and plentiful that specimens were shipped from Texas to India in order to repopulate certain areas. In 2007, a blackbuck hunt in U.S.A. for a male trophy ranged in price from $750 - $2,500 USD depending on quality and outfitter.
Threats
The main threats to the species are: Poaching, Predation, Habitat destruction, Overgrazing, Diseases, Inbreeding and Sanctuary visitors
Large herds once roamed freely on the plains of North India, where they thrived best, but no longer. During the eighteenth, nineteenth and the first half of the twentieth centuries, Blackbuck was the most hunted wild animal all over India. Until India's independence, many princely states used to hunt this antelope and Indian
gazelleA gazelle is any of many antelope species currently or formerly in the genus Gazella. Six species are included in two genera which were formerly considered subgenera...
, the
ChinkaraThe Chinkara or Indian Gazelle is a species of gazelle found in south Asia. It lives in grasslands and desert areas in India, Bangladesh and parts of Iran and Pakistan...
with specially trained pet
Asiatic CheetahThe Asiatic Cheetah is now also known as the Iranian Cheetah, as the world's last few are known to survive mostly in Iran. Although recently presumed to be extinct in India, it is also known as the Indian Cheetah...
.
The Blackbuck is hunted for its flesh and its skin. Although Indian law strictly prohibits the hunting of these endangered animals, there are still occasional incidents of poaching. The remaining populations are under threat from inbreeding. The natural habitat of the Blackbuck is being encroached upon by man's need for arable land and grazing ground for domesticated cattle. Exposure to domesticated cattle also renders the Blackbuck exposed to bovine diseases.
Conservation
Like most wild animals, the Blackbuck is in principle protected in India by the
Wildlife Protection Act of 1972The Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 refers to a sweeping package of legislation enacted in 1972 by the Government of India. Before 1972, India only had five designated national parks...
.
Its protected status has gained publicity through a widely reported court case in which one of India's leading film stars,
Salman KhanAbdul Rashid Salim Salman Khan is an Indian film actor who appears in Bollywood films.Khan, who made his acting debut with the film Biwi Ho To Aisi , had his first commercial success with the blockbuster Maine Pyar Kiya , and won a Filmfare Best Male Debut Award for his performance...
, was sentenced to five years imprisonment for killing two black bucks and several endangered
chinkaraThe Chinkara or Indian Gazelle is a species of gazelle found in south Asia. It lives in grasslands and desert areas in India, Bangladesh and parts of Iran and Pakistan...
s. The arrest was prompted by intense protests from the Bishnoi ethnic group, which holds animals and trees sacred, and on whose land the hunting had taken place.
In another notorious incident of criminal poaching,
Mansoor Ali Khan PataudiMansoor Ali Khan or Mansur Ali Khan , sometimes M.A.K. Pataudi , nicknamed Tiger, is a former Indian cricketer and former captain of the Indian cricket team...
also killed a Blackbuck, and then absconded as a fugitive. He finally surrendered only when the case was transferred from the criminal court to a Special Environment court, where he would face lighter sentencing.
Fortunately, the blackbuck population is stable with 50,000 native individuals, plus an additional 43,000 descended from individuals introduced to
TexasTexas is the second-largest U.S. state in both area and population, and the largest state in the contiguous United States.The name had wide usage among native Americans, meaning "friends" or "allies"...
and
ArgentinaArgentina, officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America, constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires. It is the eighth largest country in the world by land area and the largest among Spanish-speaking nations, though Mexico,...
. The species can be seen in zoos.
As a
Near threatenedNear Threatened is a conservation status assigned to species or lower taxa that may be considered threatened with extinction in the near future, although it does not currently qualify for the threatened status...
mammal, the Blackbuck species are safe in several
Protected areas of IndiaAs of May 2004, the protected areas of India cover 156,700 km², roughly 4.95% of the total surface area. India has the following kinds of protected areas, in the sense of the word designated by IUCN....
, including:
- Abohar wildlife sanctuary
- Bandhavgarh National Park
Bandhavgarh National Park is one of the popular national parks in India located in the Umaria district of Madhya Pradesh. Bandhavgarh was declared a national park in 1968 with an area of 105 km². The buffer is spread over the forest divisions of Umaria and Katni and totals 437 km²...
- Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary
- Blackbuck National Park, Velavadar
Blackbuck National Park at Velavadar is situated in the Bhavnagar District of Gujarat state, India.Established in 1976 in the Bhal region of Saurashtra, the park is located around 72 km from the district headquarter city of Bhavnagar...
- Chhapar, Churu, Black Buck Santuary
- Corbett National Park
- Gir National Park
- Guindy National Park
Guindy National Park, A 2.82 km² Protected area of Tamil Nadu, located in Chennai, South India, is the 8th smallest National Park of India and one of the very few national parks situated inside a city. The park is an extension of the grounds surrounding Raj Bhavan, the official residence of...
- Indian Institute of Technology Madras
The Indian Institute of Technology Madras is an elite engineering and technology school located in Chennai in southern India. It is recognized as an Institute of National Importance by the Government of India and is regarded as one of the finest engineering institutions in India...
- Kanha National Park
Kanha National Park is a national park and a Tiger Reserve in the Mandla and Balaghat districts of Madhya Pradesh, India. In the 1930s, Kanha area was divided into two sanctuaries, Hallon and Banjar, of 250 and 300 km² each. Kanha National Park was created on 1 June 1955. Today it stretches over an...
- Kirthar National Park
Kirthar National Park is located in Kirthar Mountains range. It is second biggest of the National Parks of Pakistan. Hingol National Park is the biggest. It is also the first National Park from Pakistan to be included in the 1975 United Nation's list of National Parks around the world...
(Pakistan)
- Lal Suhanra National Park
Lal Sohanra, like the Changa Manga forest, is one of several forests planted by the British to provide raw materials for railroad construction during their occupation of the Indian subcontinent...
(Pakistan)
- Maidenahalli Blackbuck Reserve
Jayamangali Blackbuck Conservation Reserve is Tumkur District's only notified protected area. It neighbours Maidenahalli, a small village in Madhugiri Taluk, at the north-eastern tip of Tumkur district of Karnataka state, India. This area is a part of the plains of Deccan plateau and borders...
, (Karnataka)
- Mahavir Harina Vanasthali National Park
Mahavir Harina Vanasthali National Park is a deer national park located in Vanasthalipuram, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India. The park was named after Mahavir, a Jain saint, in commemoration of his 2500th birth anniversary in the year 1975....
- Pilikula Biological Park, Mangalore, Karnataka
- Point Calimere Wildlife and Bird Sanctuary
Point Calimere Wildlife and Bird Sanctuary is a protected area in Tamil Nadu, South India along the Palk Straight where it meets the Bay of Bengal at Point Calimere at the southeastern tip of Nagapattinam District. The sanctuary was created in 1967 for conservation of the near threatened...
- Ranthambhore National Park
- Rehakuri Sanctuary, Ahmednagar District
Ahmednagar district is the largest district of Maharashtra state in western India. The historical Ahmednagar city is the headquarters of the district. Ahmednagar was the seat of the Ahmednagar Sultanate of late medieval period . This district is also known for the town of Shirdi associated with...
, MaharashtraMaharashtra is a state located on the western coast of India. Maharashtra is a part of Western India. It is India's third largest state by area and second largest by population....
- KrushnaMruga Abhayaranya,Ranebennur,Karnataka
Karnataka is a state in the southern part of India. It was created on November 1, 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act...
Mythology
According to the
Hindu mythologyHindu mythology is the large body of traditional narratives related to Hinduism, notably as contained in Sanskrit literature, such as the Sanskrit epics and the Puranas. As such, it is a subset of Indian mythology...
Blackbuck or
Krishna Jinka is considered as the vehicle (
vahanaVâhana or a Hindu vehicle, sometimes called a mount, is an animal, mythical entity or chimera closely associated with a particular deity in Hindu mythology...
) of the Moon-goddess
ChandramaIn Hinduism, Anumati is a lunar deity and goddess of wealth, intellect, children, spirituality and prosperity....
.
According to the
Garuda PuranaGaruda Purana is one of the Puranas which are part of the Hindu body of texts known as smriti.-Further details:Garuda Purana is in the form of instructions by Vishnu to his carrier, Garuda . This Purana deals with astronomy, medicine, grammar, and gemstone structure and qualities...
of Hindu Mythology, Krishna Jinka bestows prosperity in the areas where they live.