Barasingha or Swamp Deer

The barasingha, also known as the barasinghe and swamp deer, is a deer species found in the Indian subcontinent. There are three subspecies. One subspecies, the western swamp deer, has a population of about 2,000 in India and 2,170 in Nepal. Another subspecies, the southern swamp deer, is now found only in Kanha NP with a population of about 750. The third subspecies, the eastern swamp deer, is found only in Assam, with a population of about 868 in Kaziranga NP and 121 in Manas NP. The swamp deer is threatened by poaching for antlers and meat which are sold in local markets and loss of range because wetlands are being converted to agriculture. 

Its antlers carry more than three tines, more than any other Indian deer. Mature stags usually have 10 to 14 tines and some have up to 20. The word barah-singga means "twelve-horned" in Hindi. It has woolly and yellowish brown hair above and paler hair below with white spots along the spine. The throat, belly, inside the thighs and beneath the tail is white. In summer, the coat becomes bright rufous-brown. The neck is maned. Females are paler than males and the young are spotted. 

We visited Kaziranga NP in December 2024 and saw quite a few of the eastern swamp deer. Below are some of my photos:

A stag eastern swamp deer in the Western Range of Kaziranga NP. 

  

The following photos were all of eastern swamp deer found in the Central Range of Kaziranga NP.