Chinkara
The chinkara (Gazella bennettii), also known as the Indian gazelle, is a gazelle species native to Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.
It has a reddish-buff summer coat with smooth, glossy fur. In winter, the white belly and throat fur is in greater contrast.
Its horns reach over 39 cm.
State animal of Rajasthan.
Distribution and habitat:
Chinkara live in arid plains and hills, deserts, dry scrub and light forests.
They inhabit more than 80 protected areas in India.
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Ecology:
Chinkaras are shy and avoid human habitation.
They can go without water for long periods and can get sufficient fluids from plants and dew droplets that get deposited on the plant surface in the night.
Conservation:
In 2001, populations were estimated at over one million in the country, of which nearly 80,000 occur in the Thar desert, with a stable population trend.
Least concern on the IUCN Red List
Why it is in news
In a first-of-its-kind judgment, a Sessions Court in Hanumangarh district of Rajasthan has ordered the payment of half of the fine amount, imposed on a convict in a chinkara killing case, to the informer as a prize for helping in the detection of crime against wildlife.
The court said it would make the society sensitive to wildlife protection.
Section 55(c) of the Wildlife Protection Act empowered the court to take cognisance of an offence on the complaint of a private person.
Article 51A (g) of the Constitution had laid down that the protection of wildlife and having compassion for living creatures was a fundamental duty of the citizens.
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