An inspiring project

The grass-eating hard ground barasingha gives conservationists a lot to cheer about following a slow but sure increase in its almost extinct population at the Kanha Tiger Reserve.

The Barasingha population of three subspecies—the hard ground barasingha endemic to Kanha, the northern subspecies and the north-eastern subspecies—is faced with many challenges, resulting in a low growth rate.

A full-grown stag with the characteristic 12-point antler configuration.

Grassland and a waterbody, an ideal habitat for the graminivore, at Kanha.

In the past, populations of this deer occurred across undivided Madhya Pradesh and in Maharashtra, Bihar, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh.

The northern subspecies in a swamp, its natural habitat, at the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve in Uttar Pradesh. Each subspecies differs slightly from the other morphologically.

A barasingha herd at the Kanha Tiger Reserve, which supports typical central Indian sal forests and grassy plains.

A tigress watching a herd of barasingha in the distance.

Jackals go for selective predation of newborns, upsetting the recruitment of the barasingha.

An alert herd, though its anti-predator reflexes are relatively slow.

Pythons can sometimes upset the number of fawns in protected areas.

The north-eastern barasingha in the Kaziranga National Park in Assam.

Kanha is a combination of beauty and biodiversity.

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A barasingha female and a fawn at the Kanha Tiger Reserve. The fawn has spots at birth and is often confused with a chital.