Population of the blackbuck increased from 22,000 to over 50,000

The Indian Antelope (blackbuck), that has been named the State Animal of the new Andhra Pradesh, is facing habitat problem, and is all set to get caught in man-animal conflict like several other animals. A majority of them live in unprotected areas to meet their food requirement.

The incidence of blackbuck herds raiding standing groundnut, pigeon pea, green gram, maize and sorghum crops in the vegetative stage is on the rise. It is only be a matter of time before farmers resort to various methods of trapping and killing them, experts say. It is for hunting this animal that is listed in the First Schedule of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, that Hindi movie star Salman Khan was sentenced to five years’ rigorous imprisonment by the district court in Rajasthan.

Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agriculture University professor V. Vasudeva Rao said that more blackbucks were living outside protected areas because they were attracted to the wide variety of crops raised in the ayacut of many new lift irrigation schemes that have come up in the drought-prone districts of Rayalaseema.

The blackbuck prefers open areas to closed forests.Prof. Vasudeva Rao did his Ph.D on the behaviour and other aspects of the blackbuck in two different habitats that is in arid areas of Prakasam district and on the banks of Godavari River, in 1999. He is currently head of the Department of Vertebrate Pest Management in the university.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List had changed the status of the blackbuck three times in the past three decades. From Vulnerable in 1994-96, the status of the antelope has been changed to Near Threatened (NT) (2003-08) and to Least Concerned (LC) after that till today.

According to the IUCN, the population of the blackbuck increased from 22,000 in the 1970s to over 50,000 by 2000.Blackbuck was the heraldry symbol of seven princely states of India before Independence.It was the State animal of the undivided Andhra Pradesh. However after bifurcation, Telangana changed its State animal to spotted deer. After considerable deliberations, the new Andhra Pradesh decided to continue with the blackbuck as its State animal. It is the State animal of Haryana and Punjab also.