Why in the News?
Chhattisgarh launched a five-year Blackbuck Reintroduction Plan (2021–2026) at Barnawapara Wildlife Sanctuary to revive the species after 50 years of local extinction.
Blackbucks have vanished from Chhattisgarh by the 1970s, primarily due to poaching, habitat loss, and grassland encroachment.
About the Blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra):
- Habitat: Native to India and Nepal, commonly found in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and Tamil Nadu.
- Physical Traits: Medium-sized antelope with males having spiral horns and black coats; known as the fastest land mammal in India.
- Behaviour: Diurnal grazer that thrives in open plains and grasslands.
- Ecological Role: Serves as an indicator species for grassland ecosystem health.
- State Animal: Designated as the State Animal of Punjab, Haryana, and Andhra Pradesh.
- Cultural Symbolism: Represents purity in Hinduism and good fortune in Buddhism.
- Legal Protection:
- Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I.
- IUCN Red List: Least Concern.
- CITES: Appendix III.
| [UPSC 2017] In India, if a species of tortoise is declared protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, what does it imply?
Options: (a) It enjoys the same level of protection as the tiger. * (b) It no longer exists in the wild, a few individuals are under captive protection; and how it is impossible to prevent its extinction. (c) It is endemic to a particular region of India. (d) Both (b) and (c) stated above are correct in this context. |
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