CONSBRVATION

The Manipur brow-antlered deer

its status and breeding in captivity Cervus eldii eldii:

J. H. DESAI' & A. K. MALHOTRA* I/oint Director, and zBiological Assistant, Delhi Zoological Park, New Delhi iiooo-7, India

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The results of the aerial survey of the remaining natural habitat of the Manipur brow-antlered deer Cervus eldii eldii conducted by Ranjit Singh (1975) indicated that there were no more than 14 individuals, five 33, s i x 99 and three fawns, still living in the wild; t h i s makes it one of the most threatened animals in the world.

This subspecies of the Brow-antlered deer was always confined to the valley of Manipur in India; there are two other races, C. e. thamin and C. e. siamensis, with a small and scattered distri- bution in parts of South-east Asia. For many years the Manipur deer had been zealously pro- tected by the former rulers of Manipur State, but from the turn of the century they had been hunted relentlessly and their deche has been compounded by ruthless poaching. By 1951 the subspecies was already regarded as extinct, but it was later rediscovered in the Keibul Lamjao region at the south-eastem corner of the Logtak Lake. Although t h i s 3 5 km2 area of swamp was in 1954 declared a sanctuary, the persistence of hunting and poaching and of habitat destruction due to agricultural activities by 1960 had already reduced the deer population to about IOO (Gee, 1960); in I972 this had further dwindled to only 50 (Ranjit Singh, 1975). The water-filled de- pressions of the Keibul Lamjao contain large 'islands' of floating decaying vegetation (known locally as phumdi) supporting grasses and sedges, on which for much of the year the deer are dependent. However, human disturbance within and on the peripheries of the sanctuary - cattle grazing, illegal cultivation, grass and tree cutting and fishing -have effectively reduced the habitat available to the deer to some 14'4 km* (Ranjit Singh, 1975). With the existing small population there is little hope of saving this deer in its natural habitat and unless urgent steps for its propagation are taken it will soon become extinct.

CAPTIVE HERDS With its survival in the wild in doubt, the breeding and conservation of the Manipur deer in zoos is of paramount importance. Fortunately, the species breeds well in captivity. There are two viable herds, with different gene pools, in Delhi and Calcutta zoos and both have been breeding successfully for several years. These herds at present number 6.7 and 6.8 respectively.

The Delhi herd stems from a pair received in 1962 as a gift from the then Manipur State. Between 1963-1976 there have been 36 (16.20) births recorded. Encouraged by this success, it was decided to establish more breeding units in the country at proven zoos. Accordingly, young and healthy pairs were distributed from the Delhi herd on a sale or barter basis to the zoos at Ahmedabad, Kanpur, Lucknow, Hyderabad and Mysore. In a surprisingly short time the deer had adjusted to their new surroundmgs and at Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and Mysore have raised young. The present captive population of Manipur deer in India (as of I January 1977) numbers 49 (19.30). located in seven collections: Ahmedabad 1.5; Calcutta 6.8; Delhi 6.7; Hyderabad 1.3; Kanpur 1.1; Lucknow 1.1; Mysore 3.5.

The size of enclosure does not seem to be an important factor in their maintenance. At Delhi Zoo the deer are kept in an outdoor enclosure about 0.6 ha in area. It is bounded on two sides by a 2.0 m high fence, while a water-filled moat, 2.0 m deep, forms an effective barrier between animals and zoo visitors on the remaining peri- meter. At Calcutta and Ahmedabad the herds are kept in medium-sized enclosures; both have fine breeding records.

Dietary requirements are not elaborate. The daily ration for a single adult deer at Delhi is I kg concentrates and 5 kg green fodder. In addition, the animals also have free access to green grass

C O N S E R V A T I O N 236

growing in the enclosure. The concentrate formula was developed as a feed for all hoofed stock at the zoo and is constituted as follows:

% Wheat bran 22

Horse gram (whole pulses) I2

Maize (whole) I3

Oats (compressed) 8

Turmeric powder I

Barley (crushed) 16

Oil cake 26

salt I Mineral mixture I

R E P R O D U C T I O N

Like other deer species, the Manipur deer is seasonally monoestrous. At Delhi Zoo stags shed their antlers in late June, the rutting season is between March-April, and the peak birth season occurs during October-November. Out of 36 recorded births, 85.5% took place at that time (Fig. I). There was no instance of twins.

The gestation period varies between 236-244 days, with a mean (calculated from five births) of 240.4 days. The mean birth weight of three 68 and five 99 young is 6.0 and 4'4 kg respectively (Sankhala & Desai, 1971). Fawns are weaned at the age of three months. Females become sexually mature at two to three years while 88 attain maturity about a year later.

births

Adult 66 will sometimes become highly aggressive towards 99, and on two occasions at Delhi a 6 in pursuit of a during rut fatally injured her. For t h i s reason it is advisable that truculent individuals such as these should, during the rutting season, be segregated from the rest of the herd. Between 1963-1976, accidents, injuries acquired in fighting, infant deaths and old age at Delh Zoo were responsible for the deaths of five &? and five 99, a mortality rate of 277%.

C O N C L U S I O N

The results of the captive breeding programme are so far encouraging. Given the limited number of breeding groups in the country and the present rate of reproduction, however, any attempt to reintroduce the Manipur deer into the wild is at present neither practicable nor would it be conducive to the overall welfare of the subspecies. Reintroduction must depend on the prior development of a proper management plan, in conjunction with a parallel programme for the rehabilitation of the natural habitat so that it is able to support the deer population.

It is proposed, as a preliminary step, that a small breeding nucleus (three 86, seven 99) made up of captive-bred animals from the two different blood lines be established in a properly fenced enclosure close to the Keibul Lamjao sanctuary. The fact that an earlier group of G o pairs from Delhi Zoo, established along similar lines at the end of 1974 (Sankhala, I977), is survived by only one of the original 36 and a 8 offspring suggests with what care such plans must be laid.

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8

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Sep Oct Nov Dec

Fig. I. Seasonal distribution of births of the Manipur brow-antlered deer Cervus eldii eldii between 1963-1976 at Delhi Zoo.

R E F E R E N C E S GBB, B. P. (1960): Report on the status of the brow- antlered deer of Manipur. J. Bombay nat. Hist. SOC. 57: 597-617- RANJIT SINGH, M. K. (1975): Keibul Lamjao sanctuary and the brow-antlered deer - 1972 with notes on a visit in 1975. J. Bombay nat. Hisf. Sac. 72: 243-255. SANKHALA, K. s. (1977): Captive breeding, re- introduction and nature protection: the Indian experience. Inf. Zoo Yb. 17: 98-101. SANKHALA, K. s. & DESAI, J. H. (1971): Reproductive behaviour of brow-antlered deer. J. Bombay nat. Hisf. SOC. 67: 561-565.

Manuscript submitted I I April 1977