The swamp deer (or barasingha) Rucervus duvaucelii is categorized as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List but the conservation status of its three subspecies, including R. duvaucelii ranjitsinhi of Assam, India, has not been assessed separately. R. duvaucelii ranjitsinhi was once common in the Brahmaputra valley in Assam but its populations declined as a result of habitat loss, over-hunting, poaching and disease transmitted from cattle. It is now confined to Kaziranga and Manas National Parks. The 500 km2 Manas National Park is the core area of Manas Tiger Reserve and is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There is a viable population of the swamp deer in Kaziranga and there were healthy populations of swamp deer in Manas prior to civil unrest in the 1990s, with a population of > 500 individuals in 1987. During the civil unrest of 1989–1990, however, poachers almost wiped out the population of swamp deer in Manas.
There have since been indirect reports of the presence of the swamp deer in Manas but no sightings. However, during a joint tiger and prey monitoring exercise carried out by WWF India, Aaranyak, ATREE and the Forest Department, swamp deer were photo-captured twice, on 14 and 23 January 2013, in the Kanchanbari area of the Bhuyanpara range. This proof of the continued existence of the swamp deer in Manas is heartening news. However, a systematic survey is required to determine the status of the population. The UNESCO World Heritage Site committee has advised that a Species Recovery Plan is required, and the Forest Department at the State and Central levels has initiated plans to work for the recovery of this subspecies, in association with other stakeholders.
