Blue Bull (Boselaphus Tragocamelus)
¤ Consider Scare In Many Parts of India
Despite being the largest of antelopes, its horns are the smallest.
The animal is considered to be sacred in many parts of the country,
thanks to its resemblance to a cow. Its unattractive grey-blue coat,
its insignificant pair of horns and its 'holy status', are a blessing
in disguise for the animal. It does not make an attractive trophy for
hunters, and Hindus avoid eating its meat for religious reasons.
The adult bull is about 130-140 cm till its shoulders, and can weigh
as much as 200kg. The male has a distinctive grey-blue coat, and a
tuft of hair hangs down from its throat like a beard. The coat of the
female is more or less brownish-blue in colour, and it is smaller in
size than the male. Both the sexes have dark manes.
¤ Main Habitation
Blue bulls prefer scanty hillocks and grasslands to dense jungles.
The males are more powerful than the cows, and they have reportedly
escaped from the clutches of tigers, even after getting injured. Blue
bulls avoid living in areas inhabited by the tiger, but they don't
bother too much about the leopard as they are too big and powerful for
the feline to tackle.
¤ Best Places To Sight
Sariska (where it can come as close as two metres), Ranthambore,
Panna, Shivpuri, Gir, Paneli.
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