| Ngdom | Phylum | Class | Order | Family |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANIMALIA | CHORDATA | MAMMALIA | CETARTIODACTYLA | CERVIDAE |
Justification:
Barasingha is listed as Vulnerable C1 because the estimated population lies between 3,500 and 5,100 animals (not all of which will be mature individuals) and outside several key populations the protection status is not secure. Thus, the species is assumed to be still in decline by at least 10% over 24 years (= three generations, assumed). Although precipitous declines are presumed to have occurred in the past, these occurred outside of the three generation window used in Red List assessment; decline rates themselves although still ongoing, and balanced somewhat by some localised increases, do not justify use of criterion
Population:
The present distribution of the Barasingha is much reduced and fragmented, reflecting major losses in the 1930s–1960s through conversion of large tracts of grassland to cropland and through barely-restrained hunting (Qureshi et al. 2004).
The northern subspecies R. d. duvaucelii is the most numerous of the three races, with an estimated wild population is of 1,800–2,400 in India and 1,650–1,800 in Nepal (Qureshi et al. 2004; Chiranjibi Prasad Pokheral, NTNC, in litt. 2008). Schaller (1967) reported R. d. duvaucelii and what subsequently became known as R. d. Ranjitsinhifrom 15 localities in India of which 11 were in Uttar Pradesh and Uttaranchal, three in Assam and one in West Bengal. At present R. d. duvaucelii exists in only six localities in Uttar Pradesh and Uttaranchal. In Nepal, out of four localities reported by Schaller (1967) only two now hold the species.
Habitat and Ecology:
Habitat use differs between Barasingha populations, and is reflected in hoof morphology. Central Indian animals (R. d. branderi) occupy open sal (Shorea robusta) forest with a grass understorey and grass glades; northern animals (R. d. duvauceliiand R. d. ranjitsinhi) are obligate grassland forms, true swamp deer, inhabiting flooded tall grassland (Dunbar Brander 1927; Pocock 1943; Johnsingh et al. 2004), and, in Bangladesh, formerly, around mangroves of the Sundarbans (Md Anwarul Islam in litt. 2008). Barasingha is predominantly a grazer (the main forage species are given in Qureshi et al. 2004), but at least R. d. duvaucelii is known to feed occasionally on aquatic plants (C.D. Schaaf pers. comm. 1990), and aquatic plants contribute significantly to the diet of R. d. ranjitsinhi during the monsoon and winter
Threats
Swamp deer lost most of its ancestral range because wetlands were converted and used for agriculture so that their habitat was reduced to small and isolated fragments. The remaining habitat in protected areas is threatened by the change in river dynamics, reduced water flow during summer, increasing siltation, and further degraded by local people who cut grass, timber and fuelwood. The swamp deer populations outside protected areas and seasonally migrating populations are threatened by poaching for antlers and meat, which are sold in local markets.
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