The vigilant forest official D G Gadhvi and his staff on patrol have nabbed two persons on charges of hunting antelope from the Bhal geographic region in Gujarat. The Bhal region is an area spread across the political boundaries of the districts of Bhavnagar, Ahmedabad, and Anand, on the deltas of the Sabarmati, Bhogawo, Bhadar, Lilka and other rivers that flow east and southeast off the Kathiawar peninsula into the Gulf of Cambay.
The two persons arrested are identified as Budha Gobar and Javed Pathan of Kalatalaw in the Bhavnagar district. Both were presented in the valbhipur court where one day remand was given. The accused have been sent to jail after completion of remand.
Antelope are found in India and Nepal. It is Slender with thin legs and a short tail whose one pair of horns is located between the ears, and the other on the forehead. They are solitary by nature but may form loose groups of three to five. It feeds on grasses, herbs, shrubs, foliage, flowers and fruits and needs to drink water frequently. This makes them stay in places near water sources. Antelopes inhabit areas with significant grass cover and avoid human settlements.
Dwindled in population the antelope is classified as Vulnerable by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN).
