The Eravikulam National Park, abode of the highly endangered Nilgiri tahr, will remain closed to visitors till March 31. Chief Wildlife Warden said the two-month closure was an annual affair during the calving season of the tahrs. Online ticket booking will resume after the park reopens.
The mating season of the tahrs is between June and August and the gestation period is nearly six months. The tahr population at the park was stable, with the number exceeding 1,000 in Rajamala under the Eravikulam National Par.
The Nilgiri Tahr, (Nilgiritragus hylocrius Ropiquet and Hassanin, 2005) is an endangered caprid listed in Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 and categorized as ‘endangered’ by the IUCN.
Eravikulam National Park is located in the High Ranges (Kannan Devan Hills) of the Southern Western Ghats in the Devikulam Taluk of Idukki District, Kerala.