IMPHAL, July 3: Brow-antlered deer, one of the rarest deer on Earth popularly known as Sangai (Cevus Eldi Eldi) in local tongue, is on the rise in its natural habitat in Manipur.
Around 56 Sangai has increased in the last three years due to continuous conservation effort from all quarters including the state forest department, NGOs and public in general.
The 40 sq km Keibul Lamjao National park (KLNP), the only floating park in the world, is the only existing natural habitat of the Sangai. KLNP is a part of the 246 sq km Loktak Lake also known as the largest freshwater lake in NE India. The lake is located about 50 km away from Imphal at Manipur’s Bishnupur district.
Minister Irengbam Hemochandra Singh, speaking to media after getting Forest and environment portfolio recently said, “We spotted around 260 Sangai which is the pride of our state besides the rich culture and sports, in our recent census.” The minister also expressed the need to take up community participation programmes to encourage the existing conservation activities.
The forest department conducted regular census (since 1975 onwards) to monitor population of Sangai and other wild ungulates in KLNP by setting up 32 points by using point transect method(also called variable circular plots).The last census carried out in March, 2013, put the Sangai population at 204. Of these, 90 were stags or males, 86 hinds or females and 28 fawns against 75 stags, 127 hinds and 58 fawns this year. In 1975, the deer population in the habitat was just 14.
Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife), PN Prasad, informed that they have taken certain schemes for the community who depend their livelihood on flora and fauns of KLNP besides introducing eco-tourism programmes.
PCCF Prasad also informed that the government of India is also supporting the initiative. He also expected that the other concerned ministries would extend necessary assistance towards the initiative.
On January 9 this year, Union minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar, conducted a ground assessment of the Park on habitat of endangered Sangai to nominate the park as a World Heritage Site.
