The barasingha ,sometimes barasinghe, also known as the swamp deer, is a deer species distributed in the Indian subcontinent. Populations in northern and central India are fragmented, and two isolated populations occur in southwestern Nepal.
In Nepal, they can be primarily found in the western areas of the country, south of the Himalayas, in Shuklaphanta and Bardiya National Parks. Within India, barasingha can be found in six localities in Uttar Pradesh. They are found in Kanha National Park, in Madhya Pradesh.Himalayan terai of North India, the hard ground Barasingha is an exclusive graminivorous deer species that totally depends on grasses and grasslands and shows a preference for aquatic plants. It is the most peaceful species in Kanha that easily interacts with Chital. They are often found to wade into water, frequently dipping its stifle to feed on water plants.
Hunting, poaching and diversion of the long grassland to agriculture in Central India has been the main causes of their depletion in counts and thus the reserve officials have taken some necessary steps so as to conserve their population.
With the rewarding conservation efforts of the Kanha National Park, the officials of this reserve entirely focused on the preservation of the swamp deer who were the victims of poaching for their skin and beautiful horns. Their objectives of wild life conservation included the relocation of Gaur to Bandhavgarh and Barasingha to Satpura Tiger Reserve. With this effort at least 500 Barasingha were introduced in this national park to eight or nine different locations. Additionally, another project for the conservation of the tigers was also introduced that captured about twenty tigers to relocate them to the Satpura Tiger Reserve.