Barking Deer - Kakad

Barking Deer – India Muntjac

So known for its bark like alarm call, Barking Deer or Indian Muntjac (Muntiacus muntjak), is short brownish deer species with tusk like upper canine teeth’s. Its alarm calls are a very reliable indicator of presence of any predator. Indian Muntjac is most wide spread of total 11 species of Muntjacs found in Asia.



Barking Deer or Indian Muntjac
(taken from walkthewilderness.net)

Characteristics

Barking Deer are very distinctive with their tusk like canine teeth which is used to defend itself. It has wide coloration range with Dark brown to yellowish or grey brown on dorsal, white on ventral side and slightly darker brown face. They have very short antlers of around 2 to 3 inches. They are around 20 – 25 inches tall and 40 – 55 inches long with male of the species bit taller than the females. Their weight ranges between 20 – 30 Kgs. Male Barking Deer have their separate territory and can be very aggressive against intrusion. They have a life span of 25 to 30 years.

Distribution and habitat

The Barking Deer can be seen in tropical and subtropical deciduous forests, grasslands, savannas, and scrub forests from sea level up to an altitude of 9600 feet in Himalayas. It is found in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, China, Nepal, Pakistan, Cambodia, Vietnam, the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, etc. It is most densely located in Southeast Asia with Indian population estimated to be more than 1,30,000. Scrub forests and hilly tracts around forests and national park like Kanha, Corbett and Bandhavgarh are  good places to observe them where they can be spotted feeding at the edge of the forest or in abandoned clearings.

 

Ecology, Behavior and Food

Indian Muntjac prefers hilly areas with water in the vicinity. Omnivores in food habits they eat  grasses, prickly bushes, leaves, bark, twigs, fruit, seeds, tender shoots, eggs and small warm-blooded animals. They have also been seen eating on dead animals at times. Normally seen alone they have also been seen in groups of 3 – 5. A very cautious and shy animal which can be seen by the way it moves, one step at a time, ready to run away with slight hint of danger. Author has seen one Barking deer approaching almost 10 – 12 feet of where he was sitting motionless until his presence was given away by cloth movement due to sudden wind.

They prefer dense forest area to open grass land and can often be spotted on the fringe forests. Males mark their territory and defend it from other male which often leads to fighting.  They leave scent markers by rubbing their pre-orbital glands (located just below the eyes) on the ground and on trees and scraping the bark of trees with their lower incisors. I have often seen them visiting water holes in the evening for a quich sip.

Reproduction

Indian Muntjac does not have any specific breeding period. Female gives birth to a single fawn after a gestation period of 6 – 7 months. They chose a dense patch of forest for safety from predators. Young leaves the mother in 5 to 6 months to make its own territory.

Threats

Habitat destruction and poaching for its meat and hide are major problem behind its decline in population. Barking deer is killed by farmers when it raids the agriculture fields adjoining dense forest.

Conservation

Although barking deer is not in the endangered species list but in India its hunting is barred by law.

 

 

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