Chikkamagaluru:  A rare Neelgai or ‘blue bull’ was sighted in Muthodi Range of Bhadra Tiger Reserve on Friday evening after a long gap of 65 years.

The lone, healthy Neelgai was sighted on Friday evening when it was walking on the safari road in the tourism zone of the reserve.

The last time that a Neelgai was found in the State was way back in 1952 in Kundkere range (bordering Sathyamangala forests) of Bandipur Tiger Reserve. The animal, however, was never found in Karnataka again.

According to Forest Department officials, it was a big surprise to see the animal in a habitat that is semi-evergreen to moist deciduous.  

Sometimes referred to as the ‘blue bull’ (or horse), it is the largest of all Asian antelopes and is one of the most commonly seen wild animals in all of India.

A Neelgai stands 3 feet 7 inches to almost 5 feet tall at the shoulder (1.1 to 1.5 meters) and has a length of 5 foot 7 inches to almost 7 feet (1.7 to 2.1 meters). It weighs between 220 and 680 pounds (100 to 308 kilograms) and makes them quite the imposing creatures. Their somewhat peculiar shape makes them very interesting to the eye.

The Neelgai is a robust animal with bodies similar to horses, but have much smaller heads and small horns (only on the males), leading many to compare them to a cross between a horse and a goat.

Females are a lighter brown colour and slightly less robustly built. Both males and females have a short bristly mane.

Neelgai is commonly found in dry regions of Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, and Maharashtra. But in the south, this species has never been spotted in a wildlife habitat.