Nilgiri tahr  (Hemitragus hylocrius)

The Nilgiri tahr is a goat antelope found high up in the mountains of southern India, it is known locally as the 'Nilgiri ibex' (3). Tahrs have stocky bodies and there is a considerable difference between the males and females of the species. A full-grown male Nilgiri tahr stands a metre tall at the shoulder and weighs approximately 100 kilograms; females are slightly smaller in size and weight (4). Males are dark brown with a tinge of black whilst females are greyish in colour (4); the coat of both sexes is short and coarse (2). Both sexes bear backwards-curving horns, although those of the female are smaller in size. Older males are known as ‘saddlebacks' due to the whitish hairs that develop on the rump in the shape of a saddle as they age (4). Nilgiri tahr are extremely imposing animals with impressive horns that reach can 40 centimetres long. (2). In Tamil, Nilgiri tahr are known as ‘Varayadu', ‘Varrai' meaning ‘rocky outcrops' and ‘Adu' meaning ‘goat'. Thus, they are the wild goat that lives on the rocky escarpment (4).