The black buck, also called the Indian antelope, is found in parts of western India, eastern Pakistan and in Nepal. This species shows an extreme contrast between males and females. While adult male blackbucks have a distinctive black and white colouring with long, slender, spiralling horns, females have reddish-brown colouring and do not possess horns.
The black buck is one of the fastest animals after the cheetah, pronghorn and springbok, clocking a top speed of 80 km/h. They live in semi-desert regions, scrublands and open woodlands and prefer to feed on grasslands. They are social animals who live in herds of 5 to 50 members. They are shy and alert to danger. When it senses trouble, it jumps in the air and sprints away followed by the whole herd.
Due to habitat loss from developmental work and a long history of being hunted for sport and meat, this antelope is listed as ‘Near Threatened’ in the IUCN List.
This graceful gazelle enjoys special protection in our country and figures in the national endangered species list. In India hunting blackbuck is prohibited under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972. There are strict laws protecting the black buck. You may have heard of Bollywood actor Salman Khan being convicted in a black buck poaching case in 2018.
Picture Credit : Google
