Gujarat: Shy antelope doesn’t mind being photographed in Mahisagar

VADODARA: It seems the wild is regaining its territory as humans stay home during lockdown to protect themselves from Covid-19 in the state. The shy four-horned antelope species or chausinga is now throbbing with life in the jungles of Mahisagar district.
While it was always known that antelope exists in the jungles of Mahisagar, it was rarely photographed. The 2015 herbivores census in the state could not record any four-horned antelope even as neighbouring Panchmahal district had stray population.The total population of the antelope in the state was 1,811 with Gir alone having around 1,100 of them.
Earlier this week, personnel of forest department spotted a chausinga that had come to quench its thirst in tanks prepared by the forest department for animals. The personnel also made a video of the antelope that is the smallest among four antlers found in the state, said Mahisagar in-charge deputy conservator of forests R D Jadeja.
Jadeja said antelopes had been spotted in the jungles of Sant Matro in the district.
Notably, earlier a tiger that had strayed into the state from Madhya Pradesh was also spotted in the same area before it was found dead.
Jadeja said peace in the area due to lockdown has encouraged the antlers to move around. “There is good activity of the species in the area,” said Jadeja.
The state has witnessed high movement of wildlife, including lions, leopards, hyenas and crocodiles around towns and cities during lockdown. There have also been incidents of man-animal conflict during this period.