- Where to see one
- 5 U.S. zoos in our directory hold nilgai, confirmed against each zoo's own animal list.
Conservation status
Not Evaluated
This species has not been assessed for the IUCN Red List, so it sits outside the threat scale entirely.
About the nilgai
The nilgai is the largest antelope in Asia and is common across the northern Indian subcontinent, with major populations in the Indian and Nepal Terai. Its name means "blue cow". Adult males have a bluish-grey coat and short horns, while females and juveniles are orange to tawny. It stands 100-150 cm at the shoulder. Active by day, it prefers scrub forest and grassy plains with short bushes and scattered trees and often occurs on agricultural land. It eats grasses and herbs, and woody plants in dry tropical forests. A single calf, sometimes twins, is born after an eight to nine month gestation and stays hidden for the first few weeks.
Nilgai facts
- Males are horned, as are occasional females; the horns are 15-24 cm long.
- Feral nilgai live in Texas, where they were first introduced in 1924; whether they count as an asset or an invasive species is a matter of public debate.
- Under the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb it was known as nilghor, meaning "blue horse".
- When alarmed it gallops away up to 300 m, or even 700 m.
Where to see nilgai in the U.S.
5 zoos across 5 states
Find the closest one
Rank the 4 zoos holding nilgai by how far they are from you. Your location is used in your browser to sort this list and is never sent to us.
1 more zoo holds nilgai but has no coordinates on file yet, so it isn't ranked here. It's in the full list below.
Louisiana· 1
New York· 1
North Carolina· 1
Ohio· 1
Texas· 1
AZAThe Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Accredited members have passed an independent inspection of animal care and welfare, safety, conservation and education, repeated every five years. Many smaller facilities never apply, so “not accredited” isn't a verdict on its own. What accreditation means · How we check this
Built from each zoo's own published animal list.
