Odisha's Blackbuck Conservation- A Village Community Effort

 

A blackbuck pair in the outskirts of Odisha's Bhetnoi village.

In India, there is a religious sect in the country's northwest region known as the Bishnoi. Its members are well-known for their love and protection of animals. One of those animals is the blackbuck. This swift and graceful antelope has little to fear from the Bishnoi people because of their beliefs in that every living thing should never be harmed. But somewhere in the state of Odisha, there is a group of seventy villages in Ganjam district whose inhabitants have also been protecting the blackbuck. One of those villages is Bhetnoi, where the antelope is seen roaming freely on its peripheries and at the same time keeping away from the villagers. The origins of the area's blackbuck conservation dates back more than a century ago when a long drought spell hit the locality. During that period, a small herd of blackbucks showed up in the area after which it rained ending the drought spell. The villagers felt that their fate was connected with the blackbucks and thus protected by members of the community. In the 1990s, a local blackbuck protection committee was established along with a district blackbuck protection committee to guarantee safeguarding of the animals. The area is also becoming a tourist site for viewing blackbucks. In an effort to boost tourism, the local forest department set up a four-storey watchtower to provide tourists a chance to view the blackbucks. The tower is also used by the department to monitor the antelopes. In addition, the department has leased private land near the villages to grow plants that are much wanted after by the blackbuck, to avoid crop damage. The department has also stated that it will not intervene in the protection work, but will provide support to the community in the form of compensation for loss of villagers' crops and treating the blackbucks in cases of injuries.

Tourists outside Bhetnoi looking for blackbucks and take their pictures.

A watchtower to observe blackbucks.

I really cannot express what an outstanding job the villagers of Ganjam district have done and continue to do to ensure the protection and well-being of the blackbuck. This goes to show that there are other people besides the Bishnoi, who are dedicated to the protection of wild animals in India. I'm also very happy that the efforts by the village communities has been recognized by the Odisha Forest Department and wildlife experts. Although I'm glad that Odisha's blackbucks are being cared for by village communities, they are prone to threats in the form of vehicular accidents, industries, stray dogs, and poaching. A wildlife expert named Biswajit Mohanty pointed out that a lack of speed breakers on the roads is major threat to blackbucks. There is even a working stone quarry in the area, which poses a threat. He even mentioned about isolated reports of poaching activities by people outside the area in recent years. I strictly believe that these issues need to be dealt with in order to ensure the survival of blackbucks on the long run. This includes construction of speed breakers to mitigate vehicular accidents and efforts to minimize attacks on blackbucks by stray dogs. I would personally recommend capturing the dogs and put them up for adoption. Also, the stone quarry needs to be monitored very closely for any damage affecting the blackbucks and anti-poaching efforts need to be implemented. But on the whole, I'm very proud to see that these villages have taken the initiative to protect the blackbucks and hope this serves as an inspiration to village communities across India in wildlife protection and conservation.

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