Swamp deer

About Swamp deer:

• The swamp deer (Rucervus duvaucelii) also called as barasingha is a deer species distributed in the Indian subcontinent.
• It belongs to the family Cervidae (order Artiodactyla), found in open forests and grasslands of India and Nepal. 
• It eats predominantly wetland plants and herbaceous plants which are common in this deer’s natural habitat. 
• Its population is now restricted to isolated and scattered locations in Nepal, Assam and the northern areas of India.
• It is now extinct in both Bangladesh, and in Pakistan 
• 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.
• Conservation status
  • IUCN Red List: Vulnerable
  • CITES: Appendix I
  • The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972:Schedule I