| Blackbuck | |
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| Genus: | Antilope Pallas, 1766
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| Species: | A. cervicapra
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| Binomial name | |
| Antilope cervicapra | |
Antelope Cervacapra
About
Black Buck, is a common name for antelope. The Black Buck is found mainly in India although there are dwindling populations in Pakistan and Nepal as well.The horns of the Black Buck are ringed with 3 to 4 turns and can be as long as 28 Inches. The Adult males can grow as tall as 32 Inches and can weigh as much as 95 pounds. The upper body is black with the belly and the eye rings in white colour. The light-brown female is usually hornless. Males are dark brown. Black Bucks usually roam the plains in herds of 15 to 20 animals with one dominant male.
Kala Hiran also called Indian Black Buck Antelope (Antelope cervicapra L.). It has four sub species, they are:
- Antelope cervicapra cervicapra
- Antelope cervicapra rajputanae
- Antelope cervicapra centralis
- Antelope cervicapra rupicapra
Original Habitats
Originally spread over large tracts of India (except in North East India). Today the Black Buck population is confined to areas in Punjab, Rajasthan, Haryana and Gujarat with a few small pockets in Central India. Its original Habitat is the open plains and not dense jungles, it is due to this that the black buck is one of the fleetest animals and can outrun most predators over long distances. This is why it needs open plains to survive.
The diet of the black buck comprises mainly of grasses, although it does eat pods, flowers and fruits to suppliment its diet. The maximum life span recorded is 16 years and the average is 12 years.
Threats
- The main reason of population loss are:
- Poaching
- Predation
- Habitat destruction
- Overgrazing
- Diseases
- Inbreeding
- Visitors
The Black Buck is hunted for sport, its flesh and skin. The Law in India protects the black buck but there are violations of the law on occasion. The remaining populations are under threat from inbreeding. The natural habitat of the black buck is being encroached upon by man's need for arable land and grazing ground for domesticated cattle. Exposure to domesticated cattle also renders the black buck exposed to bovine diseases. Their large herds, which once freely roamed in the plains of North India where they thrive best, are no longer visible. During the eighteenth, nineteenth and the first half of the twentieth century, black buck was the most hunted wild beast all over India. Till Independence, many princely states used to hunt this Indian Antelope and gazelle with cheetahs.
Mythology
According to the Hindu mythology Blackbuck or Krishna Jinka is considered as the vehicle(vahana) of the Moon-god or "Chandrama".
Miscellaneous
The blackbuck, known as Krishna Jinka in Telugu language, has been declared the state animal of Andhra Pradesh.
In an exanple of upholding the law protecting the black buck in India, the courts have sentenced one of the leading film stars, Mr. Salman Khan to one year of rigerous imrisonment on black buck hunting charges. Salman Khan has been sent to Central jail in Jodhpur to serve out his sentence. Salman Khan was accused of killing two black buck antelope, which are protected under Indian Conservation Laws. Salman Khan was initially arrested in Jodhpur, Rajasthan on October 12, 1998 as he returned from the hunt.
Sanctuaries
Namesakes
- SS-8 Sasin, the NATO reporting name for the R-9 Desna intercontinental ballistic missile.
References
- Template:IUCN2006 Database entry includes justification for why this species is near threatened