CHINKARA

 

                       STATUS

IUCN                   :  LC

CAMP                  :  LRnt

CITES                  :  Appendices - None

Schedule            :  I ( Part I) 

Population         :  5,500 - 6,000

Activity                :  Diurnal

Social Group      :  3 to 6 members

👉Local name   :  Chinkara, Chhinkara

👉Physical measurements & life cycle : 👇

Length                   :  100 - 110 cm (tail length : 20 cm) 

Weight                  :  15 - 20 kg

Height                   :  55 - 70 cm ( horns : 25 - 30 cm) 

Maturity               :  25 - 26 months

Gestation              :  165 days

Litter size             :  1 - 2 

Life span               :  20 years

Breeding               :  No definite season, post - monsoon to winter is the peak period. 

👉Description  :   It has brown-rufous body. It is the only antelope in the state in which both male and female have horns. This animal is smaller than blackbuck and bigger than 'chausinga'. It has white belly and white streaks on each side of face. Horns of female are smooth whereas in males they are ringed. 

👉Food  :   Herbivorous. It feeds on grass, leaves and fruits. 

👉Distribution   :   Distributed in Gir, Girnar, Hingolgadh, little and great rann of Kachchh, Narayan sarovar sanctuary, grass 'bids' of Saurashtra and Kachchh. A small population in Panchmahal. 

👉Habitat  :  Grassland, open thorny forest with undulating terrain. 

👉Behaviour  :   A diurnal shy animal that keeps distance from the human population. Chinkara inhabiting the "rann" (saline desert) can survive without water for long time. Generally comes out early in the morning for feeding. Generally lives in a group of 3 to 6 individuals. 

👉Signs of presence  :   Hoof mark on the border of saline desert and near water-hole, "chhink" like call. 

Population      :    Year 2001 

                                Nos. 5,500

👉Apart from India, Chinkara is found in grasslands and desert areas in parts of Iran, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Certain researchers consider the decline in the Chinkara population as the reason behind the extinction of the Cheetah in India. A reason for its population decline is its hunting for game. A well-known Indian film star was convicted and sentenced to five years in prison for chínkara hunting in September, 1998 at a small village called Ujalia Bhakhri in Jodhpur District in the northern Indian Rajasthan state.