Part of: Prelims and GS-III -Biodiversity; Environment
Context: The population of the vulnerable eastern swamp deer, which is extinct elsewhere in South Asia, has dipped in the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve.
Key takeaways
The eastern swamp deer is endemic to Kaziranga and is not the primary prey of the park’s carnivores, primarily the tiger.
But its population is crucial for the ecological health of the tiger reserve.
The encouraging sign is the animal has now moved to other areas such as Orang National Park and Laokhowa-Burachapori wildlife sanctuaries.
About Swamp deer
There are three subspecies of swamp deer found in the Indian Subcontinent.
The western swamp deer found in Nepal,
Southern swamp deer/Hard Ground Barasingha, found in central and north India and
Eastern swamp deer found in the Kaziranga (Assam) and Dudhwa National Parks (Uttar Pradesh).
