The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M) has reported a rise in its blackbuck population from 12 in 2021 to 77 in 2026.
The institute’s 611-acre campus, which is a part of the Guindy National Park ecosystem, once saw blackbuck numbers decline sharply — from several hundred in the 1980s to fewer than 20 in 2003.
Targeted measures over the years, including removal of fences in academic zones, control of stray dog population, and closure of open wells and pits, helped stabilise the population at 21 by 2009.
The increase in recent years was announced by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in a recent social media post.
Blackbucks, which prefer open grasslands with patches of taller vegetation for breeding and protection, are highly sensitive to environmental pressures and territorial disturbances. Campus planning at IIT-M has increasingly factored in these ecological needs through regulated land use and habitat protection.
