Manas National Park & Tiger Reserve on October 2, 2023 announced that the population of swamp deer (Barasingha) at the park has witnessed a rise.
Key points
- The swamp deer population has increased to 174 in 2023 from 121 in 2021, according to the National Park’s swamp deer estimation 2023.
- Eastern Swamp Deer population recovery in Manas National Park , a translocation programme was developed by Assam Forest Department in collaboration with the Wildlife Trust of India ( WTI ) on recommendation of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Committee.
Manas park
- The Manas national park houses many other endangered species. It is home to animals like the Asian elephant, hog deer, hispid hare, wild buffalo, rhino, sambar deer, swamp deer, spotted deer, barking deer, Himalayan black bear, Himalayan serow, Goral, black panther, and binturong.
- There are 48 tigers, 475 different species of birds, 250 species of butterflies and 60 and more mammal species in the Tiger Reserve.
- Twelve captive-bred pygmy hogs were released in Manas National Park of Assam by the Pygmy Hog Conservation Programme (PHCP) on June 22 and 26, 2021, for the second time.
- Swam deer are already extinct in Pakistan and Bangladesh. It is now found only in south- western Nepal and central and northeastern India.
- There are three subspecies of swamp deer found in the Indian Subcontinent. The western swamp deer (Rucervus duvaucelii) found in Nepal, southern swamp deer (Rucervus duvaucelii branderi) found in central and north India and eastern swamp deer (Rucervus duvaucelii ranjitsinhi) found in the Kaziranga and Dudhwa National Parks.
- Swamp deer (Barasingha or Rucervus duvaucelii) is the state animal of Madhya Pradesh.
