Slowly Vanishing?
The hog deer population in India is threatened by habitat alteration, fragmentation, and poaching, all of which have led to a drastic decline in its population. The western sub-species of hog deer is listed in Appendix III of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), a treaty signed by 21 countries to protect endangered plants and animals. The eastern hog deer sub-species population from southeast Asia is listed in Appendix I. The population found in Manipur however, is still under Appendix III.
“Appendix I of the CITES lists the eastern sub-species of hog deer, present only in southeast Asia. Now that our study has established that the KLNP population is the same as the one present in southeast Asia, the KLNP population should also get included in Appendix I, keeping in mind the low genetic diversity and population size of this sub-species. Moreover, since the eastern hog deer population will soon make it into the Critically Endangered Category of the IUCN Red List, the KLNP population should get included too. There are hardly 100 deer of this sub-species in India and the number is dwindling further due to poaching,” said Gupta, adding that the WII study advocates more robust conservation practices for both Indian sub-species of hog deer.
Meanwhile, according to a population estimate by the forest department at the KLNP, the population of hog deer in 2018 was 288.
Though there is some variation in the population estimates by the forest department and researchers, the importance of conservation of the animal is highlighted by both. The status of the Indian hog deer was upgraded under the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, from Schedule III to Schedule I, which forbids hunting by more stringent rules.