Science Reporter, MAY 201631

QUIETLY concealed behind the reticulated branches of a Capparis

shrub, I peered through my binoculars at the amusing activity happening in the middle of the barren countryside. A toddling fl ock of tawny brown beasts is adding humor to the melancholy of the evening desert landscape.

A soaring kite lands near the fl ock after its routine sky patrol. One of the beasts notices the presence of the intruder, and sniffs in aggression. I clutch my binoculars expecting a fi ght.

The beast gently advances lowering its dagger-like horns. Unease grows and the atmosphere tenses up. The dry monotonous scene is turning into an electrifying battle fi eld.

As the distance shrinks between the intruder and the local leader, my expectations of serious action grow stronger. They viciously leer at each other with frozen eyes. The belligerent beast hisses louder and the kite whiffs its wings. But, just like the climax of a movie, the unexpected happens.

Flapping its wings wildly, the kite, roughly a third the beat’s size, scares the element out of it. It fl ips on its side and pounces away with a chaotically oscillating tail.

I burst into laughter and the distant fl ock, oblivious to the drama, raises heads to scan around. The timid beast presenting the comic entertainment was none other than the elegant Indian Gazelle or Chinkara (Gazella benne ii).

The Indian gazelle is one of the few antelope species found in India (the others are blackbuck, nilgai, Tibetian gazelle and four-horned antelope). Leaving a distinctly heart-shaped hoofmark in the soil, they troll in a wide variety of habitats.

SUNANDA SHARMASSUSUSUSUNANANANN NDN A SHARMSSUNANANDA SHARM

These include moist and dry deciduous forests of central India, semiarid and arid regions of western India and lush grasslands of northern India extending till Punjab.

The Indian gazelle are known as masters in enduring extremely dry environment. They can survive for days without drinking water. Research on their xeric adaptations has revealed fascinating insights. Moisture is absorbed from plants and fallen dew. Besides, they also possess physio-behavioural adaptations that help them recycle metabolic water. By preferring a nutrient-rich menu they tend to evade the vagaries of resource-scant habitats such as the Thar Desert.

Particularly important plants in the diet of the Indian gazelle are Zizyphus, Crotalaria, Maytenus and Capparis. The fruits of Zizyphus constitute the most nutritious cuisine in their diet. So much so, that the alpha males monopolize the plants in their territory in the fruiting season.

In the context of the arid landscape, the effects of variation in abundance of these major plants cascades down in their social structure. It is commonly seen in ruminant species that the better availability of nutrients translates into larger groups and a stronger hierarchical structure and vice versa.

On an average, the Indian gazelle is seen to congregate in herds of four to eight individuals. The sizes are small compared to the sympatric blackbucks (average herd size of around 50 individuals). This is due to the possible xeric adaptation of the Indian gazelle to optimize scant food resources, or due to lack of lekking behavior (exhibited by blackbucks during breeding season where males aggregate and engage in competitive displays to attract the females). Scholarly consensus is an even gel of both the reasons.

An Indian gazelle adult male (left) and sub-adult (right)

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Science Reporter, MAY 2016 32

Indian gazelle sexual dimorphism in horn morphology: (a) male having thick base, S-shape ringed horns (b) female having thinner base, straight and smooth

textured horns

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The seasonal variation of forage contributes greatly to the fl uidity in the Indian gazelle herds. Fluidity is the property of herds to readily disintegrate or merge as per the ecological requirements. In growing season (monsoon and post monsoon), the herds inhabiting close by, mingle with each other and form a single large herd. They conspicuously segregate into smaller units with the advent of dry summer spells.

While there is no pronounced sexual dimorphism in the Indian gazelle, sex identifi cation in adults is relatively easier. Males can be distinguished from females on the basis of a comparatively bulkier body and celebrated horns.

Both the sexes adorn a neat pair of horns. But in males the horns are longer, thicker, ringed and curved in an elegant S-shape. On the other hand, females have shorter, thinner, smoother and relatively straighter horns. Even the sub-adults could be sexed based on the size and shape of their spike-like growing horns. One can even guess the approximate age

of the individual by counting the annual growth rings on the horns.

The crepuscular species (animals that are active primarily during twilight, i.e., the period before dawn and that after dusk) are also highly introverted and trepid by nature. They tend to keep distance from human habitations and roads. When threatened they produce a feeble call to show aggression and alert the others. This alarm call is no more than a sneeze or a hiss sound.

Although these graceful creatures are generally peace loving, frequent fi ghts happen during mating season. The territorial males lock horns and try to exert their dominance in the area. The winner is prized with the opportunity to sire the upcoming generation.

A courtship maneuver called Laufschlag or ‘male kicking’ is observed in Indian gazelle. Laufschlag is characteristic to a few antelope species in which the male touches the female’s underside with a stiff foreleg to initiate mating. Following a fi ve-month-long gestation period, a single offspring is born.

Despite being robust and fl exible in adapting to changing habitat conditions, the Indian gazelle population has a fl uctuating trend. Threats loom from habitat loss to hunting and poaching. While there is no defi nite evidence of their effi cacy, the traditional medicine system fi nds use of hide, horns and bones. They are even consumed as a delicacy in some areas.

In 1995, the Gujarat government partially de-notifi ed Narayan Sarovar Chinkara Sanctuary to

make room for mining and cement industries. Similar diversion of land and encroachment over wildlife refuges is growing in other parts of the country leading to a crunch in the suitable habitat for Indian gazelle and other species.

In the growing alacrity towards tiger conservation, the status of the Indian gazelle has denigrated to a mere prey-base. This faulty populist regime has hampered the resource mobilization to farther more focused study on them.

Nonetheless, the Indian gazelle has been revered by the Bishnoi community in Rajasthan and Haryana. They provide water, fodder and special protection to the species which wander fearlessly in their backyards. Though they often raid crops, the tolerance showed by Bishnoi people inspires changing paradigms of wildlife conservation. They show the path to move from contemporary strategy of isolation and confi nement of species in protected areas to a more inclusive tolerance-based human-wildlife coexistence model.

The exclusionist approach only protects the species. The true essence of long term conservation lies in people understanding the importance of the species and feeling compassion to secure their wellbeing. It is principally crucial for the conservation of the Indian gazelle that roam in larger numbers outside the protected areas.

But then, it is crucial for us too, for we defi nitely want to enjoy their comic plays in the arid theatres of the countryside, don’t we?

As a researcher at the Wildlife Institute of India, Sunanda Sharma worked with the Indian Gazelle in the arid landscape of the Thar Desert. Address: H.No. 109, Ajnara Pride, Sector 4B, Vasundhara, Ghaziabad-201012, Uttar Pradesh; Email: sunanda_2489@yahoo.co.in

An Indian gazelle (Pho

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A typical Indian gazelle group

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