Chhattisgarh Successfully Reintroduces Blackbuck After 50 Years of Local Extinction

The Chhattisgarh government has successfully reintroduced the blackbuck — a graceful, medium-sized antelope native to the open grasslands of India and Nepal — back into the state’s forests after nearly five decades of local extinction.

Revival Under Five-Year Plan (2021–2026)

Under its five-year blackbuck reintroduction plan (2021–2026), the Chhattisgarh State Wildlife Board launched an ambitious conservation initiative to restore the species in its natural habitat.

• A total of 77 blackbucks were translocated:
  • 50 from the National Zoological Park, New Delhi
  • 27 from the Kanan Pendari Zoological Garden, Bilaspur
• These animals were released in the Barnawapara Wildlife Sanctuary in Balodabazar district, where the species once thrived.

Conservation Success

The reintroduction programme has proven successful, marking the return of the blackbuck to Chhattisgarh after 50 years.

• The species had completely disappeared by the 1970s, primarily due to habitat loss, agricultural expansion, and human pressures.
• The current population in Barnawapara shows healthy adaptation and breeding, signaling a strong ecological comeback.

Legal and Ecological Status

• The blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra) is listed as an endangered species under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, offering it the highest level of legal protection in India.
• It is also considered an indicator species for grassland ecosystem health.

Future Plans

Encouraged by the success in Barnawapara, the state forest department is now preparing to expand the reintroduction effort to other sanctuaries with suitable open grassland habitats, including the Gomardha Wildlife Sanctuary.

Source: IE