Population of blackbuck in Bareilly district have fallen by more than 71% in three years

Blackbuck is a protected species and their numbers in Bareilly district have dropped by more than 71% in just three years. In 2013, it was 578 and in 2016, when latest census was taken, the numbers had dwindled to to just 171.
In the opinion of experts poaching appears to be the main reason behind the decimation of blackbuck numbers. However, forest officials believe that the animals had migrated to neighboring areas at the time in search of water and, hence, only a few were sighted.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 1 September 2016.

In the opinion of the rescue chief of People For Animals (PFA), the drastic reduction in numbers can be attributed to poaching. The animals are being killed on the outskirts of the city by poachers but forest officials have failed to take action against it. A reason given by forest officials is that the blackbuck were attacked by dogs, but this appears to be far fetched because the dogs lack courage to attack them as these deer run faster than the canines.
A local farmer has revealed that there are many villages in the district where residents kill blackbuck and eat it. Incidentally, nearly four years ago, a herd of blackbuck were a common sight on Pilibhit road and near Dohna power house on Nainital road. However, when the team went to these stretches a fortnight ago for survey, they could not locate a single blackbuck after spending an entire day at these spots.
An expert has indicated that poaching is the main cause for their dwindling numbers but urbanization has also caused their habitat to shrink. At one time, blackbuck could easily spotted on the outskirts of the city.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


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