Greater Noida: A near-threatened species of antelopes is present in several spots in Gautam Budh Nagar, say officials, but the forest department does not have any data on their numbers since 2013.A census of the animals is due in the district only in October. Though blackbucks find a place on the red list of threatened animals prepared by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the state still waits to be recognised as a habitat for the species despite having 122 of them as of 2013. The forest department says it will urge the international body to include UP on the list of habitats after a detailed census is carried out later this year.But blackbucks aren’t that threatened in the district, if foresters are to be believed. According to the department, only two blackbucks have died in Gautam Budh Nagar from accidents, one in 2011 and another a couple of months ago.Environmental activists say one could see the animals in large numbers in Beel Akbarpur region of Dadri earlier, but they disappeared after industries, factories and highways came up in the vicinity. According to the department’s records, antelopes can be spotted in Gulistanpur, Khandera-Dadri, Bisrakh, NTPC plantation area, Murshadpur, Bilaspur, Dankaur, Karauli, Jhajhar, Sabauta and Jewar areas.Blackbucks are considered one of the fastest animals on earth, second only to cheetahs. But it was an injury to an antelope in an accident recently that brought the forest department out of its slumber and prompted local NGOs to think about their condition in the area. Environmentalists claim a number of blackbucks has fallen prey to wild dogs over the years. “Lack of conservation efforts and the presence of feral dogs have reduced the number of these gentle animals. These habitats need to be recognised at national and international levels and should be conserved,” said Vikrant Tongad, an environmentalist.During a visit to Khandera, this correspondent saw a pack of wild dogs chasing a blackbuck into the vast stretches of rice fields. “The blackbuck population has been gradually shifting because of lack of vegetation. We are trying to revive 16 acres in Khandera to conserve these animals. It is a new habitat for these species, which have shifted from Beel Akbarpur. Blackbucks live in the middle of tall grass and because of lack of vegetation, they relocate or wander away from certain spots,” said Pawan Kumar, district forest officer.Some environmentalists expressed surprise that Gautam Budh Nagar was yet to be recognised as a blackbuck zone. “It’s strange that UP has still not been recognised as a blackbuck zone by IUCN. There are several districts that have these animals here,” said Rupak De, a former principal chief conservator of forests in the state.Data sourced from IUCN say the population of blackbucks across the country has increased from an estimated 22,000-24,000 in the 1970s to around 50,000 by 2000.The largest number of animals is found in Rajasthan, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Gujarat.

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