Wildlife conservation in India

Remember

Normal Species: Population level considered normal for survival. For example, Cattle, sal, pine, rodents, etc. Endangered species: Danger of extinction. (due to negative factors) For example, Black buck, crocodile, Indian wild ass, Indian rhino, lion tailed macaque, sangai (brow anter deer in Manipur) Vulnerable Species: Population has declined, likely to move into endangered category in near future if negative factors operate. For example, Asiatic elephant, Gangetic dolphin (National Aquatic animal), blue sheep. Rare species: Small population, may move into endangered or vulnerable category (if -ve factors operate); For example, Himalayan brown bear, wild Asiatic buffalo, desert fox and hornbill. Etc. Endemic Species: found in some particular areas usually isolated by natural or geographical barriers. For example, Andaman teal, Nicobar pigeon, Andaman wild pic, Mithun in Arunachal Pradesh. Exotic Species: Introduced species that become established and spread beyond the place of introduction are considered naturalized. Extinct species: Not found after searches of known of likely areas where they may occur. For example, Asiatic Cheetah, pink head duck. A species may be extinct in local area, region, country, continent or the entire earth. For example, Asiatic Cheetah (acinonyx jubantus): World’s fastest land mammal =112kmph; declared extinct in India in 1952. Only 50 Asiatic Cheetahs left today, all in Iran and are rising in population.

Global Conservation Efforts:

IUCN

• Headquarters: Gland, Switzerland.
• It works in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. It is involved in: 
  • data gathering and analysis, 
  • research, field projects, 
  • advocacy, lobbying and education. 
• Mission: To “influence, encourage and assist societies throughout the world to conserve nature and to ensure that any use of natural resources is equitable and ecologically sustainable.
• IUCN has widened its focus beyond conservation ecology and now incorporates issues related to gender equality, poverty alleviation and sustainable business in its projects.
• It has an observer & consultative status at UN. It is the only NGO in the world to have UN observer status.

Administration:

• The Members’ Assembly: highest decision-making body of IUCN. It brings together IUCN Members to debate and establish environmental policy, to approve the IUCN Programme and to elect the IUCN Council and President.
• IUCN World Conservation Congress: Held once every four years; 
  • It brings together several thousand leaders and decision-makers from government, civil society, indigenous peoples, business, and academia, with the goal of conserving the environment and harnessing the solutions nature offers to global challenges.
  • It decides upon the species to be brought in red list. This must be conveyed by the member country, 6 months before the congress.

TRAFFIC

Trade Records Analysis of Flora and Fauna in International Commerce (TRAFFIC), 1976. 

• Jointly established by the IUCN and the WWF.
• The secretariat of the TRAFFIC has strengthened the efforts of the International Community to monitor and control illegal trade in wildlife and in their body parts. 
• It is concerned with the monitoring of both the legal as well as the illegal trade in Wildlife across the world.  
• India partnership
  • Project Sehtosh: To reduce demand for Sehtosh (wool of Tibetian Antelope)
  • MIKE: Monetary illegal killing of Animal – 
  • Protection of Elephant.

CITES 

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora OR the “Washington Convention was signed in 3 March and World Wildlife Day is celebrated since then 1973 onwards

• An international agreement between governments. CITES was drafted as a result of a resolution adopted in 1963 at a meeting of members of IUCN (known as World conservation Union back then)
• It aims to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.
• Although CITES is legally binding on the Parties, States adhere to it voluntarily.
  • Meaning: States have to implement the Convention – it does not take the place of national laws. 
  • It provides a framework to be respected by each Party, which has to adopt its own domestic legislation to ensure that CITES is implemented at the national level.
  • India is a signatory.
• It accords varying degrees of protection to more than 35,000 species of animals and plants, whether they are traded as live specimens, fur coats or dried herbs.
  • Appendix I: Prohibited trade in species that are in danger of extinction.
    • Roughly 5,000 species of animals: Bears, dolphins, 
    • 28,000 species of plants: cacti, corals, orchids and aloes.
  • Appendix II: Not threatened with extinction, but trade must be controlled.
    • For example, Orchid family.
  • Appendix III: 170 species, that are listed after one-member country has asked other CITES partners for assistance in controlling trade.

CITES Conference of Parties (CoP): Every 3 year.

• 1st in Switzerland; 3rd in India.
• Location is decided with a ballot of member countries in previous conference.
• Species: communications regarding the CITES species must be given 150 days before the conference.

• At CITES 2016(South Africa), Pangolins – the world’s most trafficked mammal – received extra safeguards against trafficking.  It is threatened by hunting for its meat & for various body parts used in traditional medicine.

• CITES 2019: Colombo Sri Lanka Later shifted to Geneva, Switzerland: 
• CITES 2022: Costa Rica, central America.
• CITES 2025: the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) will hold its 20th Conference of the Parties (CoP20) in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. The 78th meeting of the CITES Standing Committee will also take place in Geneva, Switzerland in February 2025.

CITES Success story: African Elephants saved from poaching.

CITES has played a vital role in the conservation of African elephants, particularly in the fight against poaching. CITES has helped reduce elephant poaching significantly by implementing following strategies:  Enhanced law enforcement: Implementing strict regulations on the international ivory trade. Promoting cooperation among member countries.  Anti-poaching training, and  Fostering community-based conservation initiatives.  These measures, alongside the increased protection of elephant habitats, have contributed to a steady decline in illegal killings. Although challenges remain, CITES’ collaborative approach has led to notable progress in safeguarding African elephant populations for future generations.

Conservation in India

The protection of wildlife has a long tradition in India. Many stories of Panchtantra and Jungle Books, etc. relate love for wildlife. 

Projects dedicated for the purpose of effective conservation of flora and fauna, special steps have been initiated by the GoI in collaboration with UNESCO’s ‘Man and Biosphere Programme’. Special schemes like 

• Project Tiger (1973): Next Pages
• Project Snow Leopard (2009): 
• Project Elephant (1992): Next Pages
• Project Hangul (Kashmiri Stag): 1970 Next pages
• Project Great Indian Bustard (GIB), 2013:
• Some other projects such as Crocodile Breeding Project and conservation of Himalayan Musk deer have also been launched by the Government of India.

Golden Langur:

The Golden Langur is listed as among the world’s 25 most endangered primates. 

Conservation status: 

• CITES: Appendix I
• IUCN: Endangered
• Wildlife Protection Act – Upgraded to Schedule I in 2022.

Habitat: Western Assam’s Bongaigaon district.

• Kakoijana Reserve Forest: is one of the better-known homes of the golden langur (Trachypithecus geei) found only in Assam and Bhutan. The Assam Forest Department had converted the 19.85 sq. km. patch of forest into the Kajoijana Bamuni Hill Wildlife Sanctuary. Locals have opposed a move.
• However, the villagers here demand that the reserve forest converted into a community forest resource “using Forest Rights Act, 2006, to ensure community co-managed system of participation for sustainable conservation”. 

Indian Pangolin: 

It is distributed in South Asia from parts of eastern Pakistan through much of India south of the Himalayas (excluding NorthEast), Southern Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

• CITES: Appendix I
• Wildlife protection Act: Schedule I
• IUCN: Endangered
• In India, this species is widely distributed from the plains and lower hills south of the Himalayas to extreme southern India.
• It is thick-tailed pangolin, or scaly anteater. It has large, overlapping scales on its body which act as armour. The colour of its scale varies depending on the colour of the earth in its surroundings.
• It is threatened by hunting for its meat & for various body parts used in traditional medicine.
  • Pangolins are most trafficked Mammal in anywhere the world.
  • Other species: south African.

 Mongoose: 

There are six species of mongoose in India;

• They are protected under Schedule I of Wildlife protection act; Any smuggling or possession of its body part is a non-bailable offence.
• IUCN: Least concern
• CITES: Appendix III
• They are poached killed for their hairs; Mainly grey mongoose hair is used for making paint brushes.
  • Each Mongoose yields over 30-40 gm of long hair, from which only 20-25 gm of “brush making hair” is recovered.
  • There is a social media campaign on social media where concerned organizations are urging artists to take a pledge to refrain from using brushes made of mongoose hair. There needs to be more research for the brush hairs which retain as much paint as the mongoose hair.

Rhinos: 

There are three species of Asian Rhino: Javan, Sumatran and Great One-Horned (Indian)

• Javan and Sumatran rhinos are currently classified as critically endangered.
  • The Sumatran rhino, the smallest of all rhino species and the only Asian rhino with two horns, became extinct in the wild in Malaysia.
  • IUCN: Critically Endangered
  • CITES: Appendix I
• Great One–Horned Rhinoceros or Indian Rhino: 
  • Conservation Status:
    • IUCN Red list: Vulnerable
    • CITES: Appendix I
    • Wildlife Protection Act: Schedule I. 
  • It is the largest of the rhino species found commonly in Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan and India. India is home to 2,200 rhinos, or over 85% of the population.
  • WWF data of 2012 found, Assam has 91% of total Rhino population of India which is mainly concentrated in Kaziranga National Park (70% of world), and a few in Pobitara Wildlife Sanctuary.
    • Others: Manas National Park, Orang National Park, Laokhowa Reserve Forest etc. Also found in UP & WB. Rhinos were introduced in Dudhwa (UP) in 1984-85 
    • Kaziranga is also a tiger reserve since 2006.
  • Threats: 
    • The Indian Rhino is poached for its horn.
    • Habitat destruction & flooding etc.
    • Large population concentrated in Kaziranga only which carries serious risks.
  • Initiatives: 
    • Indian Rhino Vision 2020 (IRV 2020): Launched in 2005– implemented by Assam State Government with the Bodo autonomous council as an active partner and supported by WWF- India. 
    • Aim: to attain a wild population of at least 3,000 greater one-horned rhinos spread over seven protected areas in the Indian state of Assam by the year 2020. It aims to translocate Rhinos from Kaziranga National Park and Pabitora Wildlife Sanctuary to five other protected areas namely Manas, Laokhowa, Buracharpori-Kochmora, Dibrusaikhowa and Orang.
    • The government of Assam has raised the Special Rhino Protection Force from people living in the fringe areas of the Kaziranga National Park.
• The New Delhi Declaration on Asian Rhinos 2019:
  • It intends to conserve and review the population of the Greater one-horned, Javan and Sumatran rhinos every four years to reassess the need for joint actions to secure their future. It outlines a series of strategic actions including, Trans-boundary collaboration among India, Nepal, and Bhutan for one-horned rhino; 

Elephant: 

India’s national heritage animal.

• Conservation status:
  • IUCN Red list: Endangered
  • Wildlife Act: Schedule 1
  • CITES: Appendix I.
• Distribution: Karnataka has most, followed by Assam and Kerala.

Project Elephant (1992)

Project Elephant is a Central Sector Scheme aimed to protect elephants, their habitat and corridors; to address issues of man-animal conflicts; and welfare of domesticated elephants. It aims to:

• Assist states having free ranging population of wild elephants. 
• Ensuring long-term survival of identified viable population of elephants in their natural habitat. 

The project is being implemented in 22 states/UTs (100% funds given by centre).

Under this project, there are 29 notified & 2 proposed Elephant reserves.

• 2019: Nagaland government declared the Singphan Wildlife Sanctuary as an Elephant Reserve (30th in total). It has huge tracts of forest, strategically located in contiguity with the Abhaypur Reserve Forest of Assam.
• Other Protected areas in Nagaland: Intanki National Park, Puliebadze Wildlife Sanctuary, Fakim Wildlife Sanctuary and Rangapahar Wildlife Sanctuary.

Elephant Corridor: Narrow strips of land that allow elephants to move from one habitat to another. There are approximately 100 Elephant corridors in India currently.

Programs for Elephant conservation:

• Gaja Yatra: It’s a nationwide campaign to protect elephants, launched by the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) and International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), both NGOs, from Tura in Garo Hills, Meghalaya. 
  • It was organized on World Elephant day in the Garo Hills in recognition of the people’s initiative of community forests for human-elephant harmony and conservation of animals such as hoolock gibbon.
• Monitoring of Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE) Programme:
  • It was established in 2003, through a Conference of the Parties (COP) resolution to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
  • It is an international collaboration that tracks trends in information related to the illegal killing of elephants across Africa & Asia, to monitor effectiveness of field conservation efforts.
• Asian Elephant Alliance: launched in 2015 in London. It is an umbrella of five NGOs-Elephant Family, International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), IUCN Netherlands, World Land Trust (WLT) and Wildlife Trust of India (WTI).
  • Aim: to secure a safe future for the wild elephants of India, which make up approximately half of the world’s wild Asian elephants. 

Threats to Elephants

• Problem of Man-Animal Conflict: 
  • Between 2014 and 2019, as many as 2,381 human deaths were recorded in elephant attacks across the country, of which 403 (over 16%) were reported from West Bengal, which homes less than 3% of the elephant.
  • At times, the conflict results in law and order problems. In November 2021, a herd of 50 elephants came within 5 km of east Burdwan town, prompting the district administration to impose prohibitory orders in several gram panchayats in the region.
• Major threats to Elephants: 
  • Man Animal conflict: Plantation & estate owners often put electric fences to stop the menace of elephants entering the plantations & fields. States in the Eastern and Northeastern region:  have accounted for most of these deaths, as they  moving out of forests towards agricultural areas. 
    • This  is turning out to be a critical area in the management of India’s elephant population as 461 elephants got electrocuted between 2009 and 2017. 
    • Assam stood first in Elephant casualties due to train hits with 62 deaths and also highest number of elephants poisoned 
  • Death by Railway accidents:A reply by the Project Elephant division of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in May to a set of RTI questions highlighted reasons other than natural causes as having led to the killing of 1,160 elephants over 11 years ending December 2020; 
    • 741 deaths were due to electrocution; 
    • railway accidents accounted for 186 cases; 
    • poaching 169 and 
    • poisoning 64. 
    • That a greater number of casualties getting reported are in elephant passages has been confirmed by the C&AG in its latest compliance audit report on the Ministry of Railways.
  • Poaching for tusks: This has now largely been controlled. A total of 169 elephants were killed by poachers in the 10 years.  Odisha reported the highest of 49, followed by Kerala 23.
  • Reasons for ‘Degradation of forests’: The degradation started not just with increased agricultural activities in the region but also participatory joint forest management such as community forestry, which changed the very nature of the forest to make it commercially viable, not considering the biodiversity of the region.

Effective solutions –

• Electrocution:
  • Installing hanging solar-powered fences, as has been planned in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, and 
  • Planting citronella and lemon grass, as done in Golaghat district, Assam, to deter elephants are some of the large-scale options. 
  • The authorities should ensure that there are no illegal electric fences or barbed wire fences, which, instead, can be replaced with the solar powered ones. 
  • Participation of local communities is crucial. 
• Train hits:   comptroller & Auditor General(C&AG) report on Ministry of railways gives various solutions in this regard – 
  • Elevated Wildlife crossings: The Environment Ministry and Ministry of Railways should also expedite proposals for elevated wildlife crossings or eco-bridges and underpasses for the safe passage of animals. 
    • A finding of the C&AG was that after the construction of underpasses and overpasses in the areas under the jurisdiction of East Central and Northeast Frontier Railways, there was no death reported. 
  • From C&AG report:
    • Periodic review of identification of elephant passages, 
    • More sensitisation programmes for railway staff, 
    • Standardisation of track signage, 
    • Installation of an animal detection system (transmitter collars) and 
    • ‘honey bee’ sound-emitting devices near all identified elephant passages.
• Other Solutions:
  • Creating awareness: The critical role elephants play in biodiversity conservation must be highlighted, especially to those living in areas close to elephant corridors.
  • Participation of the state governments: Of the 29,964 elephants in India, nearly 14,580 are in the southern region, and the State governments concerned and the Centre need to find lasting solutions to the problem of man-animal conflicts.
  • stop illegal electrical fencing,
  • have proper guidelines for maintaining the height of high-tension electrical wires,
  • proper zone-wise management plan for different elephant landscapes — where to allow elephants and where to restrict their movement.

National Aquatic Animal – Gangetic dolphin: 

• Conservation Status
  • It had been granted non-human personhood status by government in 2017.
  • Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act (1972) 
  • Categorised as endangered on the Red List of Threatened Species by the IUCN.
  • Only 4000 gangitic dolphins left in India.
  • CITES Appendix I.
  • The presence of Dolphins in a river system signals a healthy ecosystem. Since the river dolphin is at the apex of the aquatic food chain, its presence in adequate numbers symbolizes greater biodiversity in the river system and helps keep the ecosystem in balance.
• Features: 
  • A long thin snout, rounded belly and large flippers are its characteristics.
  • It is a mammal and cannot breathe in the water and must surface every 30-120 seconds.
  • Because of the sound it produces when breathing, the animal is popularly referred to as the ‘Susu’.
• Habitat:  It is fluviatile (riverine) in habitat & inhabits the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna and Karnaphuli-Sangu river systems of Nepal, India, and Bangladesh. It may also be found in brackish water. It never enters the sea.

• Threats:
  • It became difficult for the dolphin to remain submerged in water with high salinity. 
    • Freshwater flow to the Sunderbans is crucial for the subsistence of these species.  
    • Hydrological modifications like water diversion & commission of large barrages upstream have had a great impact on the salinity profile of the rivers downstream in the Sunderbans.
    • The rise in sea level, triggered by climate change, is one of the reasons for the increase salinity of waters of river & channels.
  • Poaching: 

Conservation Efforts:

• Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary (VGDS) in Bhagalpur, Bihar is India’s only sanctuary for the Gangetic dolphin.
• A Conservation Action Plan for the Gangetic Dolphin 2010-2020 has been formulated by M/oEFCC.  It provides following recommendations:

1. Potential sites for intense dolphin conservation should be demarcated and States with Gangetic Dolphin populations should have a regional Dolphin Conservation Centre.
2. The use of nylon monofilament fishing gillnets should be banned.
3. Critical water flow and minimum depths for all river dolphin habitats should be determined.
4. Trans-boundary Protected Areas between India, Nepal and Bangladesh.

• National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG): In its efforts of biodiversity conservation in Ganga River basin, it has been working on the Ganges River Dolphin Conservation Action.
• National Dolphin Research Centre (NDRC), Patna: It’s India’s and Asia’s first Centre for strengthening conservation efforts and research to save the endangered mammal.

Other Dolphins:

• Other Freshwater Dolphins: four freshwater dolphins found in the world – the other three are- 
  • Baiji found in the Yangtze River (China), 
  • the ‘Boto’ of the Amazon River (Latin America),
  • the ‘Bhulan’ of the Indus (Pakistan): Endangered, freshwater, and functionally blind species of dolphins which rely on echolocation to navigate, communicate and hunt prey including prawns, catfish and carp.
    • Indus River Dolphin is Schedule 1 In Wildlife protection act.
    • IUCN Endangered.
    • CITES: Appendix I
    • Except a tiny, isolated population of Only five to 11 individual Indus Dolphins in India’s Beas River (185 km stretches between Talwara and Harike).
    • Punjab has recently declared it as their state aquatic animal.
• Other Indian River Dolphins
  • Irrawaddy Dolphin: They live in both salt- and freshwater in South and Southeast Asia. Three exclusively freshwater populations are found in Irrawaddy/Ayeyarwady River (Myanmar), Mekong River (Lao PDR, Cambodia); and Mahakam River (Indonesia).
    • Endangered – IUCN
    • In addition, very small numbers survive in the partially freshwater Songkhla Lake (Thailand) and the brackish Chilika Lake (India).

Turtles and Tortoise

World Turtle day: May 23. 

 Smuggling: Tortoise and freshwater turtles are among the most trafficked in the country. 

• A report released in 2019 by TRAFFIC, an international wildlife trade monitoring organisation, showed that at least 200 tortoises and freshwater turtles fall prey to illicit poaching and smuggling every week, or 11,000 each year.
• One of the major challenges for freshwater turtle conservation in the country is that wildlife crime prevention agencies are not sufficiently equipped to know how to distinguish one species from the other, or their protection status in accordance with CITES and the Wildlife Protection Act.

Olive Ridley sea turtle: 

It is the 2nd smallest and most abundant of all sea turtle found in the world. It is found in warm waters of the Pacific and Indian oceans. They have a long life of 50 years.

Conservation Status:  Their numbers have been declining over the past few years.

•  Schedule – I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 (amended 1991).
• It is recognized as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red list.
• CITES: Appendix I.

It commences its journey from Indian Ocean towards Bay of Bengal during their mating season in October and November every year. It has two sites:

• Gahirmatha Beach in Kendrapara district of Odisha, which is now a part of the Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary (and National Park), is the largest breeding ground for these turtles = Gahirmatha Sanctuary.

• Mass Nesting: Buried under sand, the eggs use ambient heat of the beach for incubation. Often excessive rainfall or temperature fluctuation, delays hatching.  

• Gahirmatha is largest Marine Protected area – Largest nesting site.

• Concerns: Sea erosion and shifting course of the river triggered by changing climatic conditions create problems as climbing up the beach for nesting will be tough for turtles. The Rushikulya river has now pierced through the beach, dividing it into two halves due to erosion forming a delta.  

• Rushikulya rookery coast of Gajam distt- [Devi River mouth + Rushikulya river ]

• In 2021, the 56-km-long beach had not witnessed such mass nesting.

• 2022: Despite concerns over erosion in coastal areas due to high tide, this year marked a record mass nesting at Rushikulya beach. 

• Bahuda Rookery on Bahuda River mouth in Ganjam District: added to mass nesting site list by Odisha forest department. 

Did you know: Green turtles and olive ridleys are known to nest in Maharashtra in small numbers. Goa has records of three species of sea turtles: olive ridley, leatherback and green turtles. Recently many of these turtles were found dead near the AP coast.

Projects Under Namami Gange

• River Biodiversity Park, Sangam: development of a Turtle sanctuary in Allahabad along under Namami Gange programme. The project includes establishment of a Turtle Rearing Centre and Awareness about the importance of river Ganga and imperativeness of its conservation. = 100% Centrally funded.

• Rivers Ganga and Yamuna at Allahabad are home to some of the most endangered fauna like turtles, the Gharial and numerous migratory and resident birds.

Terrapins

Indian star tortoise

• IUCN: Vulnerable
• CITES: Appendix I (promoted from Appendix II in 2019)
• Schedule I 
• Sold in pet trade – around 10,000 to 20,000 are sold around the world.

KURMA: 

It is a citizen science initiative, a mobile-based application aimed at turtle conservation.

• Developed by: a number of conservation agencies: Indian Turtle Conservation Action Network (ITCAN) in collaboration with the Turtle Survival Alliance–India and Wildlife Conservation Society–India.
• Features:
  • It provides users a digital database to identify a species, with a built-in digital field guide covering 29 species of freshwater turtles and tortoises of India, and information on turtle identification, distribution, vernacular names, and threats.
  • Provides the location of the nearest rescue centre for turtles across the country.

Deer/Stag

Project Hangul (Kashmiri Stag): 

Kashmiri Red deer. The rare animal’s strength fell from 5,000 in the beginning of last century to 900 in 1980s, when militancy broke out in the border state. With the help of World Wildlife Fund’s ‘Project Hangul’ started in the 70’s, their population had gone to 340 by the 80’s. But it was short lived. Many factors are responsible for the failure of this project.

• IUCN Status: Critically Endangered.
• CITES: Appendix I
• Wildlife protection Act: Schedule I.
• There was no local people participation in the project. It was carried without the involvement of local communities such as Gujjars, Bakerwals, Nambardars, Chowkidars and Patwaris. The project was confined focus around Dagwan, in a radius of 10 kms crying foul of Sheep breading Farm. 
• The government departments allowed establishing Cement factories around Dachingam National Park. They disturbed the wild areas. There was illegal and reckless unscientific extraction of limestone stretching over miles after miles was carried under its nose. 
• “Save Kashmir’s Red Deer Hangul”, 2009:  Another attempt to save the Hangul was to breed it in captivity. Funds were sanctioned for captive breeding. Under the Species Recovery Programme, conservation breeding centres are opened at Sikargah Tral, Pulwama District and Kangan. But there not much progress on increasing the numbers. Partially successful: 289 in 2023 (most in Dachigam) from 197 in 2004.

Swamp Deer

Swamp Deer or Barasingha deer whose males (male deers are known as stags) have 10 to 14 tines (pointed antlers). These can grow up to 20 in a well grown stags. 

Protection status:

• Schedule I in Wildlife protection act.
• CITES: Appendix – I

The Barasingha have two varieties in India, known as the Eastern Swamp Deer and the Western Swamp Deer respectively.

Eastern Swamp Deer 

Eastern Swamp Deer is endemic to Kaziranga and is not the primary prey of the park’s carnivores (the tiger). (It is a tiger reserve since 2006). Its population is crucial for the ecological health of the tiger reserve.

IUCN: Vulnerable – extinct elsewhere in South Asia.

• The eastern swamp deer was once concentrated in the central Kohora and Bagori ranges of Kaziranga. The animal had numbered 1,161 in 2011 while the lowest of 213 individuals was recorded in 1966. 
• The Eastern Swamp Deer is larger in size compared to the Western swamp deer. It’s Antlers are more spread out and have more tines (points), typically 10-14.
• Coat color is generally darker, with a more reddish-brown hue.
• Its population has dipped in the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve. Now only 868 left. On the brighter side, they said the animal is now distributed to areas beyond the park known as the world’s best address of the one-horned rhinoceros. 
• Orang National Park and Laokhowa–Burachapori wildlife sanctuaries

Barasingha/Western Swamp Deer: 

Western Swamp Deer are slightly smaller in size compared to the Eastern swamp deer. Their antlers are less spread out and have fewer tines, typically 6-12. Its Coat color is lighter, with a more yellowish-brown hue.

• IUCN: Threatened [750 in number]
• Kanha National Park is a national park and a Tiger Reserve, it is located in the Mandla and Balaghat districts of MP. It is the largest national park in Madhya Pradesh with 940 sq. km under it. 
• The Park is respected globally for saving the Barasingha from near extinction. It is also the first tiger reserve in India to officially introduce a mascot, “Bhoorsingh the Barasingha”. 

Himalayan Serow 

It is a mammal, somewhere between a goat and an antelope.

• Schedule 1 – Wildlife protection Act.
• CITES: Appendix – I
• IUCN: Vulnerable 

About Himalayan serow (Capricornis sumatraensis thar) 

• • It is a subspecies of the mainland Serow, native to the Himalayas.
  • It was previously considered its own species, as Capricornis Thar.
  • The Himalayan Serow is mostly blackish, with flanks, hindquarters, and upper legs that are a rusty red; its lower legs are whitish.
  • Habitat: live at an altitude of  2500-3500m, but descent up to 100-300m in winters. It is also spotted in Assam.

How can we save wildlife 10 points?

Some of these ways are mentioned below.
Saving Habitat. Another important way to protect wildlife is helping to keep their Habitat intact. …
Giving water. …
Volunteer Works. …
Resorting to Eco-friendly Products. …
Feeding Animals and Birds. …
Planting Trees. …
Going to Wildlife Protection Forums. …
Creating a Wildlife-friendly Home.

Which is the first wildlife conservation in India?

1963-65: First wildlife research in India was conducted by Dr. George Schaller in Kanha National Park. Dr. George Schaller, a world renowned wildlife biologist who has done many pioneer studies on endangered animals was invited by Indian government to do the similar study on tigers.

Which are the top 10 wildlife sanctuaries in India?

Kaziranga National Park – Assam. …
Kanha National Park – Madhya Pradesh. …
Sundarbans National Park – West Bengal. …
Bandipur National Park – Karnataka. …
Periyar National Park – Kerala. …
Gir National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary – Gujarat. …
Pench National Park – Madhya Pradesh.

What is the most famous wildlife conservation project in India?

Tiger Conservation is the most significant wildlife project of India. Govt. of India provides all the financial and technical support through the Project Tiger. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF) provides all the important decisions and funding support through ‘Project Tiger’.

Who is the father of wildlife conservation in India?

Ashokji, as he is fondly known to us, is a legendary figure, much feted, considered in the conservation community as the father of wildlife crime control in India.