In news– The State government of Bihar has chalked out a plan to sterilize the nilgais instead of culling them to control their population in view of repeated demand by farmers to save their crops. .
About Nilgai-
- The nilgai is the largest Asian antelope and is ubiquitous across the northern Indian subcontinent.
- The scientific name of the nilgai is Boselaphus tragocamelus. The nilgai is the sole member of the genus Boselaphus and placed in the family Bovidae.
- It is also called the Blue Bull, ghurparas in Bihar.
- The vernacular name “nilgai” comes from the fusion of the Hindi words nil (“blue”) and gai (“cow”). The word was first recorded in use in 1882.
- Sexual dimorphism is prominent; the males are larger than females and differ in colouration.
- They live in dry areas with a variety of land types. They range from grassy, steppe woodlands, to hillsides.
- It occurs in India, Nepal, and Pakistan. Significant numbers occur in the Terai lowlands in the foothills of the Himalayas.
- It is indigenous to the Indian subcontinent, and Hindus accord it the same sacred status as cattle (both belong to the subfamily Bovinae).
- Accordingly, the nilgai is the only one of the four Indian antelopes that is still abundant.
- It comes under Schedule III of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
- IUCN status: Least Concern.
Source: Down to Earth
