ONGC and Wildlife Trust join hands to save Eastern Swamp Deer
merisarkar news service
New Delhi, November 18, 2010
ONGC-WTI join hands
State Owned Oil major ONGC has joined hands with the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) to assist the Assam Forest Department conserve the endangered Eastern Swamp Deer.
The joint initiative was launched on 16th November 2010 in Kaziranga National Park.
The eastern swamp deer or 'Barasingha' survives as a single population of around 600 individuals restricted to the flood-prone Kaziranga National Park in Assam.
It is one of the three recognised sub-species of Swamp Deer, distributed in India, Bangladesh and Nepal. With only one viable population in existence today, this eastern swamp deer is at an extremely high risk of extinction due to factors like flood, disease and epidemic transmitted from livestock.
The 'ONGC Eastern Swamp Deer Conservation Project' will assess the population dynamics, threats and factors limiting growth and distribution of Eastern Swamp Deer to prepare and implement a conservation strategy including creation of new viable populations outside Kaziranga. ONGC is financing 100 per cent of the project cost of around Rs. 86 lakh.
