The barasingha weighs 170 - 180 kg (370 - 400 lb). It occurs
in a wide range of habitats, especially preferring marshes, where it can be
highly aquatic, and grassy areas close to water. It also occurs in a variety of
forest types. It eats mainly grasses. The barasingha can be active during the
day or at night. It associates in mixed herds of males and females for most of
the year, averaging about 10 - 20 animals in a herd.
The barasingha was formerly located in suitable localities
throughout the basins of the Indus, Gangesand BrahmaputraRiversas well as central India.
Its population has declined significantly. Currently, it is restricted to Indiaand Nepal in a
northern population in the terai of Uttar Pradesh and adjoining Nepaland Assam, as
well as a southern population in Madhya Pradesh.
The drastic decline of the barasingha is due predominantly
to loss or modification of its habitat for cultivation or tree plantations,
such as the planting of eucalyptus. Poaching and shooting for (allegedly) crop
protection has also had a major impact. Diseases introduced by cattle may also
have been a factor.
Tidbits
*** "The sight or smell of a tiger appears to arouse
the curiosity of the barasingha... On one occasion a tigress with 4 cubs rested
in a thicket after a meal.Seven stags
passed by and scented the tigers, then milled around at the edge of the thicket
barking sporadically.One yearling stag
entered the undergrowth for a distance of about 5', as if attempting to obtain
a better view in the high grass..." (Schaller 1967)
*** There are 3 subspecies of the barasingha (Cervus
duvauceli).They are (with the
countries where they exist or have existed): Cervus duvauceli duvauceli
(wetland barasingha) (India,Nepal); C. d.
branderi (upland barasingha) (currently a single population in Madhya
Pradesh, India);
C. d. ranjitsinhi (currently a single population in Assam,
northeast India,Bangladesh(extinct)). (Wemmer et al. 1998)
*** "The common belief among wildlife conservationists
is that the last stronghold of C. d. duvauceli in Uttar Pradesh is Dudhwa
National Park and its adjoining Kishanpur and Katerniaghat wildlife
sanctuaries. However, there are areas along the Gangathat support good populations of barasingha but are badly neglected by wildlife
managers. One such area is the Hastinapur Wildlife Sanctuary where barasingha
exist but little is known about this population..." (Khan 1999)
Countries Where the
Barasingha Is Currently Found:
2004: Occurs in Indiaand Nepal (IUCN
2004).
Population Estimates:
[Note: Figures
given are for wild populations only.]
* WORLD
o 1967:
2700-4100 (Schaller 1967)
o 1998:
Minimum of 5000 (Wemmer et al. 1998)
* Nepal
o 1963:
400-1200 (Schaller 1967)
* By Subspecies
o C. d.
branderi
+
1938: 3000 (Caughley & Gunn 1996)
+
1970: 66 (Caughley & Gunn 1996)
+
1977: 283 (Caughley & Gunn 1996)
+
1999: 400 (Nowak 1999)
o C. d.
duvauceli
+
1972: 1320 (Dudhwa National Park, India)
(Nowak 1999)
+
1989: 765 (Dudhwa National Park, India)
(Nowak 1999)
+
1999: 2000 (Nepal)
(Nowak 1999)
o C. d.
ranjitsinhi
+
1999: 800 (Kaziranga National Park, Assam,India) (Nowak
1999)
History of
Distribution:
The barasingha was formerly located in suitable localities
throughout the basins of the Indus, Gangesand BrahmaputraRiversas well as central Indiaas far south as the GodavariRiver,
generally in areas covered by moist, deciduous forests. In the 19th century it
occurred along the base of the Himalayas from Upper Assam, in a few places in
the Indo-Gangetic plain from the Eastern Sundarbans to Bahawalpur to Rohri in
Upper Sind, and locally throughout the area between the Ganges and Godavari as
far east as Mandla.
In the early 20th century it was found primarily in the
marshes bordering the Himalayas and along some of the
rivers in the Gangetic basin; in Assam,India it was
common in the BrahmaputraRivervalley; in central India,
it was found in scattered pockets mostly south of the NarmadaRiver in what is now the state of
Madhya Pradesh. By the middle 1960's, populations were small and isolated and
declining rapidly. At that time it was found in greatest concentration in Uttar
Pradesh and the adjoining area of southwest Nepal;
scattered small herds also occurred in northern Bengal,
Assam and Madhya Pradesh.
Currently it is found in several localities in the terai of southern Nepaland adjacent districts of India,
and in Assamand Madhya Pradesh, India(Wemmer et al. 1998).
Distribution Map (5 Kb GIF) (Huffman 2004)
Threats and Reasons
for Decline:
The causes of the barasingha's decline and present threats
include destruction or modification of its habitat for wetland reclamation,
grass and timber cutting, illegal gathering of fuelwood and other resources in
reserves, and cultivation or tree plantations; poaching; and shooting for
(allegedly) crop protection. Diseases introduced by cattle may also have been a
factor.
Data on Biology and Ecology
Weight:
The barasingha
weighs 170 - 180 kg (370 - 400 lb).
Habitat:
The barasingha
occupies a wide variety of forest types, including dry and moist deciduous
forest, mangrove forest and evergreen forest, but its prime habitat in the past
has been grasslands and reed beds bordering the major rivers in the northern
part of its range. Regardless of the vegetation type, it prefers areas with
water; flat to moderately hilly terrain; and open localities comprised of
either marshes and grasslands or of woodlands with an understory of grasses.
The altitudinal
range of the barasingha is between 100 - 300 m (330 - 980').It inhabits flooded tall grassland and open
sal (Shorea robusta) forest with a grass understory.The upland barasingha occupies drier habitat.
(Wemmer et al. 1998)
The barasingha is
one of the species that live in the Indo-Burma Biodiversity Hotspot (Cons.
Intl.) as well as the Terai-Duar Savannas & Grasslands and the Eastern
Indian Monsoon Forests Global 200 Ecoregions. (Olson & Dinerstein 1998,
Olson & Dinerstein 1999)
Age to Maturity:
More than 2 years (females).
Gestation Period:
240 - 250 days.
Birth Season:
The mating season
may extend from September to April.
Births occurred
from August- November, with a peak in
September - October (Kanha National Park, India)
(Schaller 1967)
Birth Rate:
1 young per
litter; time between births is 1 year.
Maximum Age:
23 years
(captivity) (Nowak 1999)
Diet:
The barasingha
eats mainly grasses, but the wetland barasingha occasionally feeds on aquatic
plants. Aquatic plants also contribute significantly to the diet of C. d.
ranjitsinhi during the monsoon and winter. (Wemmer et al. 1998)
Behavior:
The barasingha can
be active during the day or at night. It drinks at least twice a day during the
hot season, traveling to a water hole soon after daylight and in the late
afternoon.
Social Organization:
* In central India,
the majority of the barasingha were found in mixed herds for the first 8 months
of the year, with the ratio of females to males being about 2:1. In three areas
the herds averaged 8, 8, and 13 - 19 animals respectively, with larger herds
comprising 45 - 61 animals. For the remainder of the year the herds were
smaller and many animals were solitary.
* During the
peak of the rut .. the barasingha form breeding herds, numbering 30 - 50
individuals each, composed of a number of adult males, females, and young.Males establish a dominance hierarchy, with
the highest ranking male taking priority to any estrous female.The composition of the herd changes somewhat
from day to day, but the same animals tend to associate for a week or more...
(Schaller 1967)
In Dudhwa
National Park, India,
mean group sizes during summer, monsoon, and winter were 32, 13 and 7
respectively.Congregations of up to 250
individuals have been seen. (Wemmer et al. 1998)
Age and Gender
Distribution:
The ratios of
adult males:adult females:fawns for several localities in Indiain the 1960's were as follows (the fraction of females has been set to = 100 in
all cases):
* 90:100:15
(January 1, 1964; total population ~ 82; Kanha National Park)
* 104:100:16
(January 1, 1965; total population ~ 55; Kanha National Park)
* 69:100:40
(February 25 - March 5; total population ~ 70 - 80; WestKheriForest)
* 88:100:33
(April 30 - May 7; total population ~ 200 - 250; Kaziranga Sanctuary)
(Schaller 1967)
Density and Range:
0.2 individuals/sq
km (0.6 individuals/sq mi) (total ~ 75 individuals; Kanha
National Park, India);
biomass ~37 kg/sq km (assuming average
weight = 160 kg) (213 lb/sq mi (assuming average weight = 350 lb)) . (Schaller
1967)
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