The Andhra Pradesh (AP) Tourism Department will construct a resort at Pitchuka Lanka, an island in the Godavari river in East Godavari.
- The Indian antelope (blackbuck – antilope cervicapra) thrives on the island near the Sir Arthur Cotton barrage and is facing a grave threat of poaching. In 2017, three blackbucks have been found killed on the island.
About Blackbuck
- Blackbuck is found only in the Indian subcontinent, mainly in three countries: India, where nearly 95 per cent of the population is present, Nepal, where a small population survives in the arid part of the Nepal plains or Terai, and Pakistan, where it is extinct
- Blackbuck is now a rare species, surviving in small scattered herds in about 13 states of India.
- The best numbers are seen in the Velavadar Blackbuck National Park, Bhavnagar, Gujarat.
- Another notable area is Tal Chhapar Blackbuck Sanctuary, Churu district, Rajasthan.
- There is only one Blackbuck Sanctuary in the Deccan where they were once found in millions, providing abundant food for the Deccani Cheetah. The sanctuary is Rehekuri Blackbuck Sanctuary in Ahmadnagar, Maharashtra.
- Blackbuck and Cheetah shared their grassland habitat with the Great Indian Bustard (GIB).
