(IN) Fwd: Save the dainty gazelle-Tribune story

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Save the dainty gazelle

 

by Lt General (retd) Baljit Singh

 

There was an interesting zoological brief on the Chinkara, titled " An

endangered species " , carried on the front page of The Tribune on Aug 25, 2007.

But the accompanying photography was that of a cheetal stag, an error which is

rather surprising in this " age of the mouse. "

In India, the confusion generally arises from erroneously terming the three

distinct species of our mammals - the antelope, the gazelle and the deer - by

one common denominator, that is , " deer. " In reality, we have four sub-species

of the antelope namely, the Blue Bull, the Four-horned antelope, the Goral and

the Black Buck.

As for gazelles, we really have just one, the Chinkara, though occasionally, a

few Chiru or the Tibetan gazelle may be encountered in North Eastern Ladakh.

The deer, however, are a large family comprising the Cheetal, the Sambhar, the

Swamp deer, the Hog deer, the Hangul or the Kashmir stag and several more.

The Chinkara is a chestnut coloured, elegant animal with a compact body

supported by dainty legs that would be the envy of designers of stiletto shoes

for the Parisian ladies. It carries two spikey horns, seldom more than ten

inches long and only a shade thicker than the stiletto heels.

Today it is found in the limited desert habitat patches scattered in North

West Rajasthan only. It is doubtful if any Chinkara survives in Pakistan, and

certainly, there are none in Iran where a few were last spotted in the 1950s.

The Chital or the Spotted Deer is comparatively more plentiful than the

Chinkara. It has a bright rufous-fawn coat profusely spotted with white at all

ages and in all seasons. It inhabits mainly the forested tracts in the Northern

fringes of the Gangetic plain and also the forests of the lower Deccan hills.

The Spotted Deer is a feast for the eyes, especially the stag with an

impressive rack of antlers atop his skull with six to ten tines. In body length

and weight the Chital would be almost twice that of the Chinkara.

Furthermore, the deer species (Chital) shed their antlers and regrow them

every year whereas the gazelle (Chinkara) retain their horns through their life

span.

Under normal circumstances, there is just no way that any one could mistake a

Chital for a Chinkara. Looks apart, there is a vast geographical separation in

their habitats so that any identity confusion is simply unthinkable.

The Chinkara population in India, nay, the world, today is a few hundred only.

So their hunters must be made to serve out their full prison sentences for

illegally and mindlessly shooting these animals.

And unless such citizens are ostracised from civilised society there is little

chance of saving the precious little of what remains of our wildlife.

 

 

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2007/20070905/edit.htm#8

 

 

 

Dr.Sandeep K.Jain