Tamil Nadu Launches Project to protect Nilgiri Tahr

Tags: Government Schemes State News

In a first of its kind initiative in India, the Government of Tamil Nadu announced the 'Nilgiri Tahr Project' on 28 December.

Important facts

• The aim is to restore the original habitat of this state animal and stabilize its population.

• With a budget of Rs 25.14 crore, this five-year initiative will constitute a dedicated team headed by a project director to deal with the conservation of the species.

• The project will explore the possibility of captive breeding of the animal in forested areas where it has become locally extinct.

• The state forest department will conduct a simultaneous survey in the Tahr range, which includes the Nilgiri hills and the Assambu highlands.

• Under the project, radio-telemetry studies of some tahrs will be carried out to understand the pattern, habitat use and behaviour of this animal.

About Nilgiri Tahr

• It is the state animal of Tamil Nadu.

• This endemic species of the Western Ghats is listed as Endangered in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and is protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act of India, 1972.

• The Nilgiri tahr faces several threats such as habitat loss due to large-scale deforestation, competition with domestic animals, hydroelectric projects and monoculture plantations.

• October 7 will be celebrated as 'Nilgiri Tahr Day' in honour of ERC Davidar. He did the first study on Nilgiri Tahr in 1975.