Distribution, density, group size and conservation of the indian gazelle or chinkara gazella bennetti (Sykes 1831) in Rajasthan, India

doi:10.1016/0006-3207(90)90150-N

Biological Conservation

Volume 51, Issue 3, 1990, Pages 177-189

https://doi.org/10.1016/0006-3207(90)90150-N Get rights and content

Abstract

The Indian gazelle or chinkara Gazella bennetti is common in the Rajasthan state of India, being present in 25 out of 26 wildlife sanctuaries and national parks. It is considered sacred by the Vishnoi community and hence large populations are found around Vishnoi villages. Three major surveys covering a large part of the state were done in 1986 and 1987, showing that in certain areas the population reached 14 per km of transect. The chinkara is a very adaptable animal and is present in the dry deciduous forests, open woodlands and sandy, dune areas within the annual rainfall range of 150–750 mm. It is generally seen in small groups of 1–3 individuals. The sex ratio was biased towards females (1:1·3).

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Cited by (23)

Phylogenetic analyses of gazelles reveal repeated transitions of key ecological traits and provide novel insights into the origin of the genus Gazella
2016, Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution
Citation Excerpt :
Furthermore, the estimated body size of the most recent common ancestor of the Antilopini lies within the range of extant gazelles, indicating that their small body size represents a plesiomorphic character state in gazelles (Bärmann, 2014). Most extant gazelles inhabit open savannah and desert regions with the exception of chinkara (G. bennettii), mountain (G. gazella), Arabian (G. arabica), and Cuvier’s gazelles (G. cuvieri) that occur in mountainous or rugged environments with higher precipitation and sparse shrub and arboreal vegetation (Harrison and Bates, 1991; Lafontaine et al., 1999; Rahmani, 1990; Roberts, 1977). Our phylogenetic analysis of all members of the genus Gazella allowed testing whether those ecological transitions occurred once or several times independently and whether and how they coincided with changes in feeding mode, group size, and migratory behavior.
African bovids are a famous example of a taxonomic group in which the correlated evolution of body size, feeding mode, gregariousness, and social organization in relation to the preferred habitat type has been investigated. A continuum has been described ranging from small-bodied, sedentary, solitary or socially monogamous, forest- or bush-dwelling, browsing species that seek shelter from predation in dense vegetation, to large-bodied, migratory, highly gregarious, grazing taxa inhabiting open savannahs and relying on flight or group-defense behaviors when facing predators. Here, we examined a geographically widespread clade within the Bovidae (the genus Gazella) that shows minimal interspecific variation in body size and asked if we could still uncover correlated changes of key ecological and behavioral traits during repeated transitions from open-land to mountain-dwelling. Our study used a multi-locus phylogeny (based on sequence variation of Cytb and six nuclear intron markers) of all extant members of the genus Gazella to infer evolutionary patterns of key ecological and behavioral traits and to estimate ancestral character states using Bayesian inference. At the base of the Gazella-phylogeny, open plains were inferred as the most likely habitat type, and three independent transitions toward mountain-dwelling were uncovered. Those shifts coincided with shifts from migratory to sedentary lifestyles. Character estimation for group size was largely congruent with movement patterns in that species forming large groups tended to be migratory, while small group size was correlated with a sedentary lifestyle. Evolutionary patterns of two other conspicuous traits (twinning ability vs. exclusive singleton births and hornless vs. horned females) did not follow this trend in the Gazella-phylogeny. Furthermore, we inferred the genus Gazella to have emerged in the Late Miocene to Pliocene (10–3 Mya), and estimating ancestral ranges based on a Dispersal–Extinction–Cladogenesis model found the Middle East to be the most likely origin of the genus.
Can landscape use be among the factors that potentially make some ungulates species more difficult to conserve?
2007, Journal of Arid Environments
Mountain gazelles Gazella gazella have historically been more difficult to protect than Nubian ibex Capra nubiana in the Ibex Reserve, Saudi Arabia. I tested poachers’ claims that mountain gazelles are easier to hunt and experience more anthropogenic disturbances than Nubian ibex because of mountain gazelles’ use of open landscapes. My results show that mountain gazelles occurred in significantly wider valleys that are accessible to off road vehicles and which resulted in spatial overlap with domestic livestock. In contrast, Nubian ibex occurred in narrower valleys that were less accessible to off road vehicles, further away from people, and had no significant spatial overlap with domestic livestock. Mountain gazelles and Nubian ibex occurred in significantly different valley widths in areas protected and unprotected from hunting, suggesting that anthropogenic disturbances may be affecting ungulate spatial use. Use of open landscapes makes mountain gazelles more susceptible to anthropogenic disturbances, hunting from off-road vehicles, and competition from livestock, which could be among the factors that explain why mountain gazelles have been more difficult to protect than Nubian ibex.
Avifaunal changes in the Indian Thar Desert
1997, Journal of Arid Environments
The Indian Thar Desert is one of the smallest and most densely populated deserts of the world but due to its geographical location it has high avian and plant diversity. Nearly 300 bird species have been identified. A 649-km long irrigation canal, the Indira Gandhi Nahar Project (IGNP), is changing the ecology of the Thar by bringing water to arid areas. Beside the main canal, nearly 8000 km of distribution channels have been built. A massive afforestation scheme along the canal has attracted many new animal and bird species. Expansion of agriculture, overgrazing by livestock, change in cropping pattern, development of seepage wetlands and introduction of exotic plants have greatly affected desert birds such as the endangered Great Indian BustardArdoetis nigriceps, the migratory Houbara BustardChlamydotis undulataand the endemic White-browed BushchatSaxicola macrorhyncha, while some species such as Common CraneGrus grusand Demoiselle CraneGrus virgoare spreading along the canal. This paper discusses the change brought about in the birdlife of the Thar by the development of IGNP and recommends urgent conservation measures.
Blackbuck and chinkara in the Thar desert: a changing scenario
1991, Journal of Arid Environments
Considered sacred by the Vishnoi community of Rajasthan, India, both chinkara (Gazella benettii) and blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra) are found in large numbers around Vishnoi settlements. While the chinkara is present in the whole of Rajasthan State, and especially abundant in the Thar desert, the blackbuck is restricted to areas where surface water is available throughout the year. Development of irrigation canals in the Thar desert will have far-reaching consequences for the distribution and status of these two antelopes.
FLUCTUATIONS IN CHINKARA GAZELLE POPULATION AND GENDER RATIOS: A FOUR-YEAR STUDY IN KHUZDAR AND LASBELA, BALOCHISTAN
2024, Applied Ecology and Environmental Research
Ecological determinants of occupancy and abundance of chinkara (Gazella bennettii) in yadahalli wildlife sanctuary, karnataka, India
2020, Current Science

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Biological Conservation

Abstract

References (8)

The Mammals of the Palaearctic Region: A Taxonomic Review

The Grass Cover of India

Checklist of Palaearctic and Indian Mammals 1758 to 1946

Systematics and chromosomes of the Indian Gazelle, Gazella bennetti (Sykes 1831)

Z. Saugetierk.

Cited by (23)

Phylogenetic analyses of gazelles reveal repeated transitions of key ecological traits and provide novel insights into the origin of the genus Gazella

Can landscape use be among the factors that potentially make some ungulates species more difficult to conserve?

Avifaunal changes in the Indian Thar Desert

Blackbuck and chinkara in the Thar desert: a changing scenario

FLUCTUATIONS IN CHINKARA GAZELLE POPULATION AND GENDER RATIOS: A FOUR-YEAR STUDY IN KHUZDAR AND LASBELA, BALOCHISTAN

Ecological determinants of occupancy and abundance of chinkara (Gazella bennettii) in yadahalli wildlife sanctuary, karnataka, India