MADHYA PRADESH : Declared the state animal of Madhya Pradesh in 1955, described as integral to the state’s ecology and culture, the Barasingha or the hard ground swamp deer (scientifically speaking) population stood at a robust 3000-plus at the Kanha National Park (KNP) in 1938.
However, owing to loss of ideal habitat (tall grasslands), particularly due to rising human population, cattle herding and agriculture, besides unchecked poaching, brought the Barasingha (among one of the most endangered mammals in the world) to the brink of extinction, with its numbers depleting to just 66 in 1966-67 at the KNP.
Melange interventions followed, the authorities jolted from slumber; villages are relocated, the KNP widened to expand Barasingha grazing grounds. Evacuated sites are turned into habitats for the Barasingha though active grassland management (planting of tall grass), swamp creation, to reduce sympatric (within species) competition, in the meadows and in-situ conservation enclosures, has worked wonders for zooming the Barasingha population at the KNP in subsequent decades.
“Only 66 Barasinghas at the KNP in 1966-67 is now a thing of the past; their estimated numbers there have crossed 2,000. Concerted conservation efforts which particularly included a 25 hectares predator-free environment, without predators like python, tigers, leopards or wild dogs, has helped Barasingha population to grow exponentially at KNP,” Madhya Pradesh’s additional principal chief conservator of forests (APCCF-Wildlife) Subhranjan Sen said.
The efforts of the state wildlife authorities hasn’t merely remained confined to conserving and multiplying the animal population at KNP. Success has also been attained in reintroducing the same deer species in other national parks/reserves across the state.
In 2015, as many as 98 Barasinghas from KNP were introduced 250 km away at the Satpura National Park, where their estimated numbers have currently crossed 200.
Using the same African ‘boma’ technique, the state forest department plans to introduce 100 Barasinghas at the Bandhavgarh National Park (450 km from KNP) by 2025. Out of them, 48 have so far been translocated to Bandhavgarh successfully. Seven Barasinghas were successfully introduced at Bhopal’s Van Vihar National Park also and the pregnant females brought from Kanha successfully gave birth in Van Vihar, proving that all the efforts were valiant.
However, reintroduction efforts haven’t been bereft of their share of failures. Way back in 1982, 18 Barasinghas which were taken to Bandhavgarh, didn’t survive the trip. Another effort to shift them within KNP (to Supkhar meadows) too had resulted in 50% mortality.
“There is a significant risk of keeping any animal species at one place, particularly under threat of potential devastation by calamities or epidemics, which necessitates a proactive approach to ensure long-term survival of the subspecies. Thus, it became imperative to undertake well-planned measures to introduce the Barasinghas to other geographically-isolated, but protected and suitable habitats within various national parks/reserves across the state,” Sen added.
Besides the Barasinghas which have been conserved and multiplied courtesy active wildlife management, similar initiatives has helped the state deliver even better results with the Gaur (Indian Bison).
Knowing that the thriving of the Gaur was essential in the long-run for adequate grassland management and would also directly/indirectly benefit the survival of deer species like Chital and Sambar, the state forest department in 2011-12 started efforts to reintroduce the Gaur in Bandhavgarh National Park, where it was last spotted before in the 1993-94.
“50 Gaurs were trans-located from Kanha to Bandhavgarh in 2011-12 and the estimated numbers have in now increased to around 250 at Bandhavgarh. 43 Gaurs have been successfully trans-located in the recent past from Kanha and Satpura National Parks to Sanjay Dubri National Park in Sidhi district, where the Gaur’s were last spotted in 1995-96,” Sen informed.
Efforts are underway to shift 50 more Gaurs from Satpura to Bandhavgarh. The efforts have led to spurt in Gaur numbers across MP, with their estimated numbers now standing at around 10,000 in Satpura National Park, 15,000-plus in Kanha, around 15,000 in Pench and around 150 in Bandhavgarh.
According to Sanjay Dubri National Park’s assistant director Sudhir Mishra, diversifying and multiplying Bison populations in various national parks and reserves ensures proper grassland management. “Gaur are both grazers and browsers, which mainly feed on grass, while leaves, forbs, coarse and dry grasses are a good supplement to their usual diet. As they thrive on coarse grass, it consequently opens up the forests, particularly the palatable grass lands for deer varieties like Chital and Sambar. Hence their thriving population directly/indirectly complements the survival and multiplication of deer varieties and ultimately the tiger, which hunts that prey,” said Mishra, key to Gaur reintroduction efforts in Sanjay Dubri National Park and also a prominent part of the ongoing Barasingha reintroduction project at Bandhavgarh National Park.
And what does the future hold? Emboldened by the successful trans-location of Barasinghas and Gaur, the state forest department is preparing to introduce Wild Buffalo from Assam into the Kanha. According to the APCCF-Wildlife Subhranjan Sen, the central government has given clearance to this project.