If all goes well, very soon, the Barnawapara sanctuary may become home to the endangered antelope blackbuck in Chhattisgarh. Though blackbucks are relatively new to Chhattisgarh, as this region does not have much recorded population of the antelope, this ruminant mammal is multiplying at a rapid rate in Raipur’s Nandanvan Zoo.
“It seems environment of Chhattisgarh has suited blackbucks and they are breeding in good numbers at Nandanvan Zoo located in outskirts of Raipur city,” Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF) KC Bebarta told The Pioneer.
The plans to shift blackbucks to Barnawapara sanctuary are in full swing and initially fund of Rs37 crore has been sanctioned for project ‘Blackbuck Rehabilitation’, he said.
“Presently, there are 60 blackbucks in Nandanvan Zoo against the sanctioned strength of 25,” Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) and In-charge of Nandanvan Zoo KK Bisen informed.
Notably blackbucks which are native of the Indian subcontinent have been classified as near threatened animals by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) since 2003.
According to IUCN, its range has decreased sharply during the 20th century. The Union Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) has also declared blackbuck as endangered species. The phase-wise shifting of blackbucks would start in a few months.
“We are planning to construct enclosures in 5 to 10 hectares of land in Barnawapara to create a natural habitat of blackbucks. They will be kept and monitored there and when they adopt to the environment, the antelope will be released in the jungle,” the PCCF said adding, this monitoring period will be of three months.
According to the PCCF, the blackbucks are found in Kanha National Park, Madhya Pradesh and also in jungles of Odisha.Since there is not a very huge difference of environment between two states and Chhattisgarh, the chances of blackbucks surviving here are also good, he remarked.