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Thursday, September 9, 2010

Barasingha - The twelve tined deer

The Barasingha or Swamp Deer (cervus duvaucelii) is one of the most vulnerable species of deer, native to India and Nepal. The name is derived from its antlers and means 12 tined or horned deer in Hindi which is its most striking feature although mature stag has anywhere between 10-14 tines, though some have been known to have up to 20. Barasingha are also known as swamp deer, they love to live in dry grasslands, wet swampy grasslands and reed beds bordering the major rivers. Their main diet is grass which is available from vast grassland of central and northern India and they also feed from the bed of wet swamps.

 
Barasingha has been divided into three races namely duvauceli (swamp-dwelling and found in the Terai of Uttar Pradesh and Assam), branderi (is found in Central India) and ranjitsinhi which is seen at Assam. The central Indian race is known as Hard ground Barasingha as they have adapted to central Indian plains and live in the vicinity of forests. Today it is found only within the limits of Kanha National Park and is rightly called as 'The Jewel Of Kanha'.

Swamp deer is a medium sized deer, which grows to a height of 130 cm and weighs around 170 – 180 kg. It has thick brown coat, which becomes darker in color as the mating season approaches. In monsoon season the females start showing white spots as in Spotted deer but they are not very prominent. Male deer has antlers, which can grow to length of 75 cm with girth of 13cm at mid beam. Barasingha can be seen grazing both in the daytime as well as at night. Female Barasingha mature at an age of 2 years or more.

 
They usually move around in herds, consisting of ten to twenty members. However, the size of a herd keeps on changing, as the breeding or mating season comes, the number of members in a herd goes as high as sixty. The dominance over a herd of female deer is established by a fight amongst the male Barasingha. The breeding season of the swamp deer is during the winter months of November and December when males long rutting calls can be heard. They have a long gestation period of 6 months. Mother Barasingha gives birth to single young one and for protection from predators they conceal them in tall grass. It has an acute sense of smell and depends on this capacity to sense any danger.

At one point of time, Barasingha used to inhabit most of the areas of northern as well as central India. However, habitat destruction and poaching has restricted them to the protected forests of Uttar Pradesh, Assam and Madhya Pradesh. At a time the central Indian population (Hard ground Barasingha) had decreased to less than 70 and were on the brink of extinction when the forest department took in hand the precarious task of their conservation and due to hard work and dedication it has risen to a level of around 450. Their population worldwide is estimated at around 5000. The drastic decline of the Barasingha population is due to distruction or modification of its habitat, Poaching and shooting and Diseases introduced by cattle.

One can find the Barasingha (Swamp deer) in the following national parks of India:

• Dudhwa National Park (Uttar Pradesh)

Kanha National Park (Madhya Pradesh)

• Kaziranga National Park (Assam)

• Manas National Park (Assam)

To see Barasingha the best place to visit will be Kanha National Park and Tiger reserve since it has a well developed tourism infrastructure and also easy to reach. Meeting Dr. Shukla, research officer and an integral part of Barasingha conservation here can also make it a very motivating and educational tour.


Barasingha durin rutting  season (Kanha National park)




Barasingha at Kanha National Park


Hard ground Barasingha at Kanha National Park

Saturday, September 4, 2010

Kanha National Park

Tiger at Kanha National Park

Planning a Tiger safari is not an easy task with places like Siberia to Indonesia, China and India on the list. Each of these tiger countries is different culturally and geographically so give an altogether different experience. With snow and icy cold winds of Siberia to tropical climate in India you can experience the diverse habitat where Tigers live.

I haven’t been to other countries for tiger safari but with what I have learnt and heard from other travelers India seems to be the best place for tiger safari. It is good not only for watching wildlife and tiger but also enjoying the diverse culture and especially tribal culture. The most famous national parks in central India are in state of Madhya Pradesh which also has large number of tribal population and they are around these NP areas only.


Kanha National Park and Tiger reserve is one of the most famous of the lot along with Bandhavgarh and Ranthambhore NP’s. Thousands of Tourists and wildlife enthusiasts come here to see wildlife and enjoy nature at its best. Sal and Bamboo forests and grasslands known as Maidans locally are excellent habitat for Tiger and other wildlife. It is here that Mogli, Sher Khan and other characters of famous Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling got shape. This famous forest tract also known as Kanha Landscape was the inspiration behind The Jungle Book and has helped understand Indian wildlife in many scientific studies including George Schaller’s.

For tourists this park is open from 16th October till 30th June every year. You can see the wildlife on Gypsy safari’s and on elephant back if tiger show is announced. Now the forest department has come up with a new scheme known as ‘Patrolling the Tiger land’ wherein you can get a chance to stay inside the park in huts made for the guards and see the forest and its inhabitants on foot. This is allowed in few areas and designated tracks open for tourists. This is not only pollution free way of enjoying trip to forest but also an experience in itself but surely this is not for week hearted once as chances of face to face encounter with wild animals although exciting is also dangerous. Only the very well trained and accustomed people should try to take this way of wildlife viewing on foot.


When on trip to Kanha national park you can stay at the forest rest house or MP tourism hotels which are in the core area or many privately owned once which are scattered in the Buffer region. Here you can get accommodation available for as low as 500/= INR to 60,000/= INR. Some good places to stay here are Kanha Village Eco Resort, Kipling Camp, Banjar Tola and Singinawa resort at the higher end and for low and medium end Chandan Motel, Panther resort, Mridu Kishore resort and Krishna jungle resort are good choices. Most of these hotels and resorts will also help to arrange for safaris on Gypsy.

It is advisable to reach here with advance booking in main holiday seasons of Dushraa and Dipawali (October / November), New Year (20th December to 7th January) and Holi (March). If you are a photography enthusiast try to plan somewhere in April when the hot day time increases the chances of wildlife viewing and photography. For further details on Kanha NP you can check http://kanhavillage.blogspot.com/2010_01_01_archive.html



Spotted Deer herd at Kanha National Park


Gaur (Indian Bison) at Kanha National Park

Friday, September 3, 2010

Dance for Goddess

Dance for Goddess
People in villages celebrate few days in reverence to Goddess Durga, here one such person is dancing to please her. If you visit Kanha Village Eco Resort you can also get a chance to see these cultural activities.