There is a striking similarity between Kokkarebellur village in Maddur taluk of Mandya district and Ron and Gajendraghad taluks of Gadag district. While the villagers of Kokkarebellur protect migratory birds, people of Ron and Gajendraghad taluks protect black bucks without harming them even though these animals feed on their green gram crop three months a year.

Ron and Gajendraghad taluks and Yelburga taluk in Koppal district have a large population of black buck population. A black buck sanctuary in Ranebennur taluk of Haveri district is attracting tourists on holidays. Anybody travelling in trains on the Gadag-Bellary route and Hubli-Davangere route see herds of black bucks grazing on plain land especially in the early hours of the morning. They are very shy animals and never indulge in eye-to-eye confrontations with human beings. They hide themselves behind thorny bushes during the day and venture out in search of food after dark. The Forest Department is taking care of these black bucks in the Ranebennur sanctuary.

In Gadag district, black bucks are found in abundance in Kotamachagi, Narayanpur, Savadi, Abbigeri and Narasapur villages in Gajendragad and Ron taluks. According to an estimate, there are about 500-1000 black bucks in that area. Every year its population is increasing which means there is no interference from human beings. The people of these villages have made the job of the Forest Department easy by protecting black bucks.

Some years ago, some poachers returning after killing a black buck were tied to electricity poles and beaten black and blue and handed over to the police. Villagers are so vigilant that they keep an eye on vehicles that pass through the village and stop them by placing boulders on the road. Vehicles are allowed to leave the spot only after the villagers do a thorough checking. Naturally, this has created a scare among poachers. The villagers have developed an affinity towards black bucks and take care of them like they would their own children. They voluntarily accompany forest officials during night rounds to check whether black bucks were safe in their area. Naturally, forest officials too have faith in the villagers.

The ryots of Ron and Gajendragad taluks grow two crops a year, one of which is green gram. Green gram happens to be the black bucks’ favourite food. There have been instances when a herd of black bucks have finished off the green gram crop ready for harvesting, in one swift nightly operation. Despite such cases, villagers don’t harm black bucks although they demand that the Forest Department pay them compensation for the damaged crop. Recently, for the first time in the history of Gadag district, the Forest Department paid a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to ryots who lost their green gram crop which is usually grown between June and August. Although, ryots sleep in their fields to protect their standing crop, black bucks quietly feed on the crop and slip away without leaving any clue behind. The Forest Department is also helpless in this matter as they can neither prevent black bucks from feeding on the standing crop nor convince farmers not to grow green gram.

A senior forest officer pointed out that it is impossible to tranquillise 500-1000 black bucks and shift them to Ranebennur sanctuary because of the cost factor. Tranquilising each animal would cost around Rs 1,000 and the Forest Department wasn’t rich enough for the job. Besides, there were chances of causing danger to the life of the animals in the process of shifting them. Moreover, it would only be a transient measure as black bucks preferred to stay in the plains rather than in the forests. Instead, the Department preferred to pay compensation that came to around Rs 3 lakh to Rs 5 lakh every year. During those three months, the forest staff scare away the animals from the fields to the plains by bursting crackers.

The ryots on occasions vent their anger at forest officials but cause no harm to even a single black buck. “Ryots are just like forest personnel in plain clothes performing the Department’s duty silently without any expectations”, he noted.

He noted that they had not received any complaint of black bucks feeding on any other crop in the entire district, in which case, the ryots would have brought it to their notice. The Department pays Rs 250 per acre as compensation which is very meagre. For the amount of care and concern the villagers show to these animals, the Department has no words to express their gratitude. “It is humanly impossible to patrol the whole of the area and keep an eye on the movement of the entry of vehicles inside the forest area. They are helping us in protecting the black buck population for which we are grateful to them”.

FACT SHEET

Antilope cervicapra

Local names: Kala hiran, Sasin and Krishna jinka.

Status: Vulnerable

Distribution: Small pockets in India, Pakistan, Nepal, introduced populations in US and Argentina.

Height: 32 inches

Weight: 95 pounds

Males: Upper body is black with the belly and eye rings in white colour.

Horn is 21-28 inches in length.

Females: Light brown with no horns.

Herds of 15-20 animals with one dominant male.

Gestation Period: 5-6 months.

Young per Birth: 1

Weaning: 5-6 months.

Sexual Maturity: 1.5-2 years.

Life span: 10-18 years.

Diet: Grasses, leaves, buds, field fruits

Threats: Poaching, Predation, Habitat destruction, Overgrazing, Diseases, Inbreeding

Disturbing trend

In the recent past, some organised gangs have been involved in poaching black bucks in the border areas of Koppal and Gadag districts. Recently, the Gajendragad police arrested two persons and seized the skins of six black bucks, 22 horns and a rifle used to poach. Usually, those gangs avoid villages fearing a sound thrashing by the villagers and wait near fields in the border areas to kill black bucks. The gangs have jeeps, powerful search lights and arms and they poach during the summer season. It is not possible to say exactly how many black bucks have fallen prey to the guns of poachers as they carry the carcass to the other side of the border and sell the meat.

According to the Gajendragad Police, these poachers are reportedly from Andhra Pradesh and they are quite active in this region. The poaching came to the notice of both the Forest and Police Departments only after the arrest of two persons recently. Some local people may also be hand-in-glove with the gang members. Such cases are being reported in places that are far away from the villages. The killing of black bucks have disturbed animal lovers in general and villagers in particular and they want the government to take measures to check the killing.

SSV