Chinkara antelope are dying in the Thar’s traditional pastures; Here is why

Photo: Sumer Singh

Rajasthan’s state animal, the Chinkara antelope, has been dying in large numbers in Jaisalmer’s Orans or traditional desert pastures, according to local residents.

They say that more than 100 Chinkara have died prematurely in the last three-four months. The residents give several reasons for the deaths.

These include the spread of solar parks in the desert and their boundary walls, feral dogs, poaching and the blockage of wildlife pathways.

Fourteen antelope died near the wall of the solar park near Lakhasar village in the district June 21, 2022. The post mortem revealed that two of the animals that were female, were also pregnant.

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Sumer Singh, a resident of Sanwata village in Degarai Oran, told this reporter, “In the last six months, reports of more than 100 Chinkara dying in various accidents have reached us. Behind such accidents are the walls of solar parks, fencing in the fields and poaching.”

He said the solar parks and their boundary walls had blocked the natural pathways of wildlife including the antelope.

The antelope, when feeling threatened by feral dog or humans, ran along these pathways, only to crash into the walls of the parks. They also got trapped in the fencing at times and died.

“In Lakhasar too, most of the dead antelope had head injuries. Their horns were also broken. It was clear that they had died after hitting the wall,” Singh said.

He said he and other villagers had asked to go inside the solar park and see the situation. But they were refused permission.

However, forest department officials denied these allegations.

GK Verma, Jaisalmer deputy conservator of forests, told this reporter that the 14 antelope had been surrounded and killed by feral dogs. They had not hit the walls and died, he added.

“The department has conducted a drive to catch dogs several times in association with local bodies,” he added.

Poaching of the antelope too has increased. Environment lovers of Jaisalmer marched about 20 kilometres to the district collector’s office carrying soil stained with the blood of poached antelope.

They handed a clay urn containing the blood of Chinkara to collector Tina Dabi and demanded justice for wildlife dying due to solar parks and high tension power lines.

Jaisalmer-based environmentalist Parth Jagani analysed the causes of accidents with wildlife from a historical perspective.

“The rocky plateau in and around Lakhasar, Moolsagar was a protected pasture filled with medicinal plants during the princely period. It was especially famous for the grazing of horses. It is also an important watershed of the district from where many streams originate,” he said.

These factors were reasons for wildlife to have inhabited the place for hundreds of years. They were and are habituated to using the same pathways to traverse the area.

“But now, these are blocked due to illegal mining, solar parks, encroachments and fencing. The Chinkara have no choice but to cross the fencing. But as soon as they get discovered by humans or dogs, they panic and are unable to decide the way out. That is why they become victims of accidents," he said.

The number of Chinkara has been continuously declining in annual wildlife censuses carried out by the Rajasthan forest department.

There were 47,640 Chinkara in 2018. In 2019, the number came down to 42,590. In 2020, the number declined further to 41,412. In 2021, the census was not carried out due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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