The Forest Department has reported the first-ever sighting and recording of the blackbuck, or Indian Antelope, in the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary in Kollegal.
It was recorded from Mambetta Reserve Forest area of the Hannur Wildlife Range, Hannur, on February 8. Deputy Conservator of Forests P. Ramesh Kumar said it was photographed by the field staff during their regular patrolling duty.
“This reporting of the blackbuck in the Cauvery wildlife sanctuary will add cheer to the conservation efforts of the Forest Department in the backdrop of the possible declaration of Cauvery wildlife sanctuary as a tiger reserve in the near future,” said Mr. Ramesh Kumar.
He said the blackbuck is a new addition to the existing list of ungulates in the Cauvery wildlife sanctuary and it definitely becomes an additional prey base to the top predators such as the tiger and leopard.
The species has so far not been sighted and documented in the Cauvery-MM.Hills-BRT Sanctuary belt.
Incidentally, there is a proposal before the government to develop about 1,504.39 acres of land at Ummathur and Bagli villages in Chamarajanagar district to sustain the blackbuck population. At present, the blackbuck conservation reserves in the State are at Ranebennur in Haveri and Jayamanagali in Tumakuru.
