Times Passion Trail - Day-4:

Velavadar Blackbuck National park.

The next morning we drove to Velavadar national park.  This national park is located in the Saurashtra region of Gujarat, about 42 KM from the district headquarter city of Bhavnagar. It originally belonged to the Maharaja of the erstwhile princely state of Bhavnagar. He used to hunt the blackbucks with his famous hunting cheetahs.

This wildlife sanctuary covers an area of approx, 34 sq. km. It is mostly flat and covered with different types of dry grasses dotted with sparse thorny acacia trees or scrub.  So the first impression it gives is that of vast expanses of brown and beige.  The sanctuary is dotted with a few water bodies.

The first sighting of the blackbuck was very exciting, particularly the male of the species.  It has a lovely, rich, dark brown coat along the back, sides, and the outsides of the legs.  It looks almost black, hence the name.   The underparts and insides of the legs are all white. The most interesting is the distinct white circles around the dark eyes, which gives a feeling that they were wearing some white-rimmed spectacles.  They have a white goatee as well!  The long ringed horns, give it a majestic and graceful look.   They graze peacefully in small groups or large herds.  If they sense danger, they bolt away really fast.  It is a beautiful sight to see them spring up and be airborne for the better part of several seconds while crossing the dirt tracks.

The predominant population is that of the blackbucks! The other fauna includes the Nilgai, the Indian wolf, hyenas, foxes, jackals, wild boars, and jungle cats.  Among birds,  sandgrouse, larks, harriers, kestrels, drongos, hoopoes, etc. are seen here along with water birds like spoonbills, painted storks, egrets, and common cranes, etc.

Once again, we drove along the dirt tracks under the guidance of the sanctuary guides.   The dry grasslands stretching out on both sides.  The grass appeared to be of uniform height and color.

We saw quite a few Nigais, also called as blue bulls.  The word Nilgai literally means blue cow. It is an antelope just like a blackbuck, even though they look totally different.  The males are distinctively bluish-grey, with short horns, while the females are a lighter, indistinct blur

In the afternoon, we had a simple but sumptuous lunch, prepared by the locals.

Before the lunch, we had a very fruitful, interactive session with Mr. Mohan Ram Legha, IFS, the Deputy Conservator of Forests, Bhavnagar Division, and Mr. Mahesh Trivedi the Asstt. Conservator of Forests.  Mr. Mohan Ram gave us enlightening information about the measures taken to protect the animals as well as the grasslands; we were really impressed!  Utmost care is taken to see that the water supply is adequate for the fauna.  If the natural supply is depleted, it is re-charged by water-tankers.  For the most part of the year, the grass is dry.  To prevent forest fires, large swathes of grass between the two plots are cut down.

Wildlife conservation in Gujarat is safe in such good hands!

The blackbucks are very delicate.  If they are captured, they go into shock (like a cardiac arrest), which they can’t survive!  The blackbucks are protected not only by the forest authorities but also by the local people. If the wild animals occasionally destroy the standing crops belonging to the local farmers outside the sanctuary, they refuse any compensation, leave alone asking for it!
In the latter half of the day, we went near a waterbody and saw some spoonbills, painted storks, common kestrels, hoopoes, etc.  As dusk was falling, we saw a couple of wolves in the distance, which was probably very young cubs.

All in all, it was a great day, well spent!