The Swamp Deer

The Swamp Deer or the Barasingha (Cervus duvauceli)

One of the most remarkable come backs made by any animal species from the brink of extinction the Barasingha’s is a role model for the conservationists.

The coat of this magnificent deer is golden yellow and the stags are maned and slightly dark in color. The adult males have large and widely flared set of antlers sometimes with 10-14 points.

In India there two races of the is deer found: one is the swamp inhabiting and is found mainly in the Terai region of U.P., small numbers in the Hastinapur Wildlife Sanctuary and more recently discovered herd in Jhilmil Jheel in Uttaranchal.and as well as in Assam. The other race is the Hard Ground one found only in Madhya Pradesh.

The Barasingha of the swamps of terrain are mainly found in the small islands of reed and grass in the swamps and can be easily recognized by their splayed hooves ideally suited for movement on soft spongy surface. They hardly come out of the water. The hard ground barasingha is found in the open grasslands of Kanha National Park and have smaller well knit hooves adapted to run on hard ground. Swamp deer’s can be seen feeding during the day time and rest only when it is too hot to remain in the open. Their sense of smell is very high.

The herds of Swamp Deer can be seen in mixed numbers throughout the year but during the period of rutting season they form exclusive breeding herds. After the breeding, stags sometime leave the herds to form stag herds.

Swamp deer rarely use tree bark to peel off the velvet from their antlers instead the long grass of their habitat suits their requirement.