Archive · 20 Aug 2026
20 Blackbucks Rewilded in Banni Grassland to Restore Native Wildlife
Twenty blackbucks were moved to Banni Grassland in Gujarat so they could live in a natural habitat.
The group had five males and 15 females.
Vantara and the Gujarat Forest Department organized the move.
Experts checked the animals’ health and kept them in quarantine before transportation.
They also watched for diseases and used safe transport methods.
Blackbucks are native herbivores, meaning they eat plants.
Bringing them back may help restore the grassland’s natural food web.
The project is part of a larger plan to restore native wildlife across Gujarat.
Gujarat Forest Department and Vantara released 20 blackbucks in Banni Grassland on India’s 80th Independence Day.
The animals included five males and 15 females transferred from Vantara, Jamnagar.
The transfer followed veterinary screening, quarantine, disease surveillance, humane transport and required approvals.
Officials said restoring native herbivores could strengthen predator-prey relationships and Banni’s grassland ecosystem.
The release is part of a wider Gujarat programme approved for 500 blackbucks and 100 chinkara.
- Who
- The Gujarat Forest Department, with technical support from Greens Zoological Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre, Vantara, released 20 blackbucks.
- What
- The organisations rewilded 20 blackbucks in Banni Grassland and continued a wider native-herbivore conservation programme.
- When
- On India’s 80th Independence Day; the articles do not provide a calendar date.
- Where
- Banni Grassland in Kutch, Gujarat, India; the animals were transferred from Vantara in Jamnagar.
- Why
- To restore native herbivore populations, support natural ecological relationships and strengthen the resilience of Banni’s grassland ecosystem.
- Animals released
- 20 blackbucks
- Sex breakdown
- Five males and 15 females
- Release site
- Banni Grassland, Kutch, Gujarat
- Source facility
- Vantara, Jamnagar
- Approvals
- Chief Wildlife Warden, Gujarat, and Central Zoo Authority
- Wider programme
- Approval for translocation of 500 blackbucks and 100 chinkara across Gujarat
- Previous support
- Vantara previously supported the rewilding of nearly 80 spotted deer in Barda Wildlife Sanctuary