Science, Discovery, Tech and Environment · 7 April 2026
Chhattisgarh revives blackbuck population a century after local extinction
Exam-focused facts from the 7 April 2026 current affairs briefing.
Key facts
- Blackbucks officially last sighted in Chhattisgarh in 1927.
- Reintroduction began in 2018 at Barnawapara Wildlife Sanctuary with 77 blackbucks: 50 translocated from Delhi and 27 sourced from Kanan Pendari Zoo, Bilaspur.
- Current wild population in Barnawapara is around 130 blackbucks, with about 80 more awaiting release.
- Project implemented under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 using stress-free translocation, acclimatization enclosures, PTZ IR camera monitoring, and daily foot patrols.
- Forest department plans to introduce another batch into Gomardha Wildlife Sanctuary to expand range and reduce habitat pressure.
- Blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra) is listed in Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act and is the state animal of Punjab, Haryana, and Andhra Pradesh.