Nilgai (female)

Description:

Nil-gai literally means Blue-Cow. However, this is no cow. It is the largest antelope of Asia. Bulls are truly massive!

Habitat:

We were driving back from the Galta ji monkey-paradise temple (very close to Jaipur) when the driver slowed down and said, Look to your left. There she was! The wall behind her is no enclosure..it is a perimeter wall beyond which is scrub vegetation and villages.

Notes:

Nilgai can cause traffic accidents. Once driving back from Jaipur to Delhi (on the highway), the driver braked suddenly and sharply. In those days we had no seatbelts in Indian cars...once we steadied ourselves we realized the swift reflexes of the driver had saved us from crashing into a male Nilgai that had scrambled up the incline and was bumbling onto the highway. Startled it turned back. It would surely have been killed...either by our car hitting it or when it ventured onto the middle of the highway. I still shudder to think how both the Nilgai and we, in the car escaped unhurt.