Modi Hails Blackbuck Comeback in Chhattisgarh After Reintroduction Drive

Overview

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his Mann Ki Baat broadcast on Sunday, highlighted the species’ return as a conservation success for the state.
• Chhattisgarh’s forest department began reintroduction in 2018 by moving 77 blackbucks from two zoos into a 4-hectare holding pen, then used soft-release enclosures to shift them into Rampur grasslands in 2022–23.
• Officials now count more than 200 blackbucks in Barnawapara Wildlife Sanctuary, which they describe as India’s first successful blackbuck rewilding.
• The department plans to release about 40 animals in Gomarda Wildlife Sanctuary this monsoon, and a proposal for Achanakmar Tiger Reserve awaits clearance from the National Tiger Conservation Authority.
• Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai said the prime minister’s praise boosts morale, while Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel criticized the moment by invoking the Salman Khan blackbuck case; local volunteer teams using drones and WhatsApp are also credited with easing elephant–human conflict in the region.