Chhattisgarh Launches Blackbuck Translocation Initiative

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Key takeaways

Chhattisgarh plans to shift 50 blackbucks from Barnawapara Wildlife Sanctuary to revive their vanished population in Gomarda Wildlife Sanctuary.
Blackbucks disappeared from Gomarda around the 1970s due to excessive hunting, poaching, and forest loss.
Barnawapara Sanctuary lies along two tributaries of the Mahanadi River: the Balamdehi River in the west and the Jonk River in the northeast.
Blackbuck enjoys the highest level of legal conservation under Schedule I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.

The state of Chhattisgarh will shift 50 blackbucks from Barnawapara Wildlife Sanctuary to Gomarda Wildlife Sanctuary.
Blackbucks disappeared from Gomarda in the 1970s because of uncontrolled hunting, poaching, forest encroachment, and construction work.

This sanctuary is in Chhattisgarh and features rolling ground, small hills, and dense patches of teak, sal, and mixed forests.
Two tributaries of the Mahanadi River mark its edges: the Balamdehi River runs along the west, and the Jonk River flows on the north-east.
The sanctuary is home to gaur, chital, sambar, nilgai, and wild boars. Its healthy blackbuck population makes it the source site for this project.

This protected area lies near Sarangarh in Chhattisgarh.
It features dry deciduous forests, small hills, open grasslands, water reservoirs, and natural waterfalls, which offer ideal conditions for blackbuck revival.

The blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra) is an antelope that stays active during the day. Male blackbucks stand out due to their twisted spiral horns and dark upper coat.
This animal is native to the Indian subcontinent and thrives in open flat grasslands. It mostly eats grass, but feeds on leaves and shrubs when grass becomes scarce.
Female blackbucks have a pregnancy period of around six months and can give birth at any time of the year.

Fewer grasslands, illegal hunting, and human disturbances continue to harm blackbuck numbers. Stray dogs and jackals frequently attack and kill young fawns.
The law gives blackbucks the highest level of safety under Schedule I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.