85 blackbucks perish in Gujarat rains

BHAVNAGAR, GUJARAT: At least 85 blackbucks, an endangered species, have perished in floods caused by heavy rains in the district, an official said on Thursday.
    
They were found dead near Velavadar National Park in the district. "We have found carcass of a total of 85 blackbucks (antelope cervicapra) from near the national park," said Conservator of Forests Bharat Pathak. "Most of these were swept away in the floods that wrecked havoc in the district", he said.
    
"These blackbucks are part of a free-ranging population of the species that inhabit low-lying areas near Velavadar National Park (which is home to an estimated 1,500
blackbucks)," Pathak said.
    
There were, however, no casualties within the protected area of the park, he said.
    
The forest official said the 85 gazelles could have been washed away when rivers Ghelo and Kalubhar swelled and innundated low-lying areas near the park.
    
"The carcass of these animals were recovered during a survey being conducted by the forest deparment to ascertain the damage to wildlife after the recent downpour," Pathak
said. The survey had begun on July 2.
    
The official said some of the antelopes also had dog bite marks on their bodies. In 2002, more than 100 blackbucks had died in floods that inundated the region, Pathak said.