Nilgiri Tahr

The NilgiriTahr (Nilgiritragus hylocrius, former name is Hemitragus hylocrius) is an endangered mountain ungulate endemic to the southern part of the Western Ghats. The species is found in a roughly 400 km stretch in the Western Ghats which falls in the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The local distribution of the species is attributed to the animal’s preference for the habitat with grasslands with steep rocky cliff shelters. The Eravikulam National Park has the highest density and largest surviving population of Nilgiri tahr. The Nilgiri Tahr generally inhabits the fringes of the grassy plateau and move on to the steep slabs and cliffs bordering it. They occasionally visit the Shrub Lands along the base of the cliffs. Tahr avoid Sholas, but sometime forage along their periphery.

Nilgiri Tahr in Eravikulam National Park occurs in two types of groups,The mixed groups and All male groups. The mixed group consists primarily of adult females and their sub adult off springs. The males are found to be larger than the females, and have a darker color when mature. Both sexes have curved horns, which are larger in the males, reaching up to 40 cm in males and 30 cm in females. The horns of the females are shorter and more slender. Adult males weigh 80–100 kg and stand about 100 cm tall at the shoulder. Adult females weigh around 50 kg and stand 80 cms tall at shoulder height. Adult males develop a light grey area or ’saddle’ on their backs and are hence called ‘saddlebacks’. The Nilgiri Tahr has a short grey-brown or dark coat. There are facial markings, particularly distinct in mature males, consisting of a dark brown muzzle separated from a dark cheek by a white stripe running down from the base of horns. Females and immature males are an overall yellowish-brown to grey, with the under parts being paler.

 

A grown-up male is known as 'saddle back'. The male would be bigger and darker than the female and has a silvery saddle like patch on its back. Mating takes place during the monsoon season and calving is during January-February. The female gestates for about 180 days and usually gives birth to one kid per pregnancy. Sexual maturity is achieved at around three years of age. The average life expectancy for Nilgiri tahr in the wild is estimated to be only three or 3.5 years although the potential life span is at least 9 years.

Habitat loss and poaching are the two major threats to the Nilgiri Tahr. Conservation efforts have been on for quite a long time and the numbers have recovered dramatically from around 1,000 in 1970 to around 2,600 in 2010. It is an endangered mountain ungulate listed in Schedule-I of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act 1972.  The IUCN lists Nilgiri Tahr as ‘endangered’ in the Red List 2010.

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