Sanctuary | Photo Feature
Jostling chausinghas: The four-horned antelope, popularly called the chausingha, is one of the least-understood bovids of India. Solitary in
nature, they have adapted to living along forest fringes. This is probably why both researchers and tourists have largely ignored this incredible
animal, which happens to be the only wild four-horned mammal in the world. A predominantly ‘forest-and-large-mammal-centric’ Protected Area
approach has been counter-productive to chausingha conservation and most of our information now comes from camera traps.Hare acrobat: In all probability, these rufous hares were startled by the fl ash of the camera trap. India’s forests are reeling under assault of
bush-meat hunting and hare, junglefowl and barking deer are among the most frequently slaughtered animals. A year on year comparison
of the frequency-occurrence of such species (in camera traps) can help estimate the prevalence of hunting in a forest. Camera trap data, if
correctly interpreted, off ers us a treasure trove of conservation information.