The blackbucks on the Raj Bhavan campus in Chennai are set to get new company, as officials are exploring bringing in animals of the same species from outside.
An informed source said that the Raj Bhavan in Chennai has written to the Forest Department in this regard. The communication follows apprehension over the stagnant gene population of the species in the campus.
Officials are involved in undertaking a census and based on the results, they will decide on how many and from where blackbucks would be brought in, the source said. According to the Raj Bhavan, the black buck was introduced in Guindy Park by Lord Willingdon in 1924. Visitors could also watch spotted deer, black buck, mongoose, jackal and any varieties of reptiles and birds in the campus. Originally a larger campus, the present Raj Bhavan estate is about 156 acres after it transferred lands for Gandhi Mandapam, Indian Institute of Technology - Madras, Deer and Children Parks, Rajaji and Kamaraj Memorials and the National Park over the years.
