Chennai: The blackbuck population in Guindy National Park (GNP) and the Raj Bhavan areas fell from 101 to 90, according to the latest census conducted by city wildlife authorities three weeks ago. The decline in the endangered antelope’s numbers contrasts with a marginal rise in spotted deer, which increased from 198 to 207. Wildlife officials, however, attribute the drop in blackbuck numbers partly to a methodological shortfall during this year’s census.A senior official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said authorities conduct five samplings along transect lines at different times of day, supplemented by direct sighting methods, before collating the data for near-accurate estimates. This year, only two samplings were carried out, potentially skewing the final count.Besides the census methodology, habitat degradation is flagged as a key concern. The polo ground, a four-hectare open patch considered critical habitat for the blackbuck — a species that favours open forest terrain — had its wild undergrowth cleared after nearly a decade of neglect, following which native grass species were planted and periodically watered.But officials say the effort was short-lived. When wild growth resurged at the polo ground, no steps were taken to clear it, leaving the blackbuck without a vital foraging and movement corridor.Conservationists warn that the situation demands urgent intervention. They noted that GNP, one of the few national parks embedded within a metropolitan city, cannot lose its ecological rarity of hosting blackbuck. They called on authorities to immediately clear encroaching vegetation from the polo ground to safeguard the species’ survival.
