Studies on the Food and Feeding Habits of Swamp Deer (Rucervus duvaucelii duvaucelii) in Jhilmil Jheel Conservation Reserve, Haridwar, Uttarakhand, India

Food habits of the swamp deer (Rucervus duvaucelii duvaucelii) were studied in and around Jhilmil Jheel Conservation Reserve (JJCR), Uttarakhand, for two years. This population (320 in number) was recently rediscovered in the state (2005) and warranted an ecological study because the habitat around this study area is heavily fragmented due to expansion of agriculture, habitation, and various other land use practices. Therefore, this study was initiated by the major objective of studying seasonal variation in food habits of swamp deer. Proportionate food consumption was studied using feeding quadrat method. The study reveals that the overall diet of swamp deer consisted mainly of graminoids (grasses and sedges) and herbs (terrestrial and aquatic). In the protected areas studied earlier, the swamp deer habitat was dominated by grasses, and hence they were reported to be predominantly a grazer who occasionally fed on aquatic plants (Schaller 1967 and others). In contrast, at Jhilmil, the area also has equal presence of other plant types namely, sedges and terrestrial herbs. This resulted in polyphagous feeding habit of animal here. 1. Introduction Swamp deer (Rucervus duvaucelii duvaucelii) also known as the Barasingha lives in the swampy grasslands and floodplains of Indian subcontinent [1]. It is currently found in isolated localities in north and central India and southwestern Nepal [2]. It eats mainly grasses and remains close to water all the time [1]. Barasingha is listed as Vulnerable C1 because the estimated population lies between 3,500 and 5,100 animals (not all of which will be mature individuals), and outside several key populations the protection status is not secure. The species range is now highly fragmented, and the total area of occupancy (AOO) possibly falls below 2,000？km2. This species is reliant upon hands-on management in protected areas, and changes in management style could see a resumption of very rapid declines echoing those of the mid-twentieth century [3]. Studies on the food habits of swamp deer have been carried out in different habitats by a number of researchers. The earliest account available about forage species of swamp deer in Dudhwa was given by Schaller [1]. Later on, Singh [4], Qureshi et al. [5], and Khan and Ahmed [6] also studied the feeding habits of swamp deer in Dudhwa forest. Observations on food habits of barasingha in Kanha were made by Martin [7]. Swamp deer of Nepal were studied by Schaaf [8], Moe [9], Pokharel [10], Bhatta [11], and Wegge et al. [12]. Jhilmil Jheel happens to be the last refuge of swamp