Hog deer

About Hog deer

• It is a solitary creature but sometimes spotted feeding in small groups in open fields when food there is plentiful.
• For the most part it is sedentary and does not migrate.
• Males tend to be territorial and mark their territory with glandular secretions.
• This species exhibits sexual dimorphism. The females are slightly smaller than males and lack antlers.
• Distribution
  • It has a native geographic range throughout India, including the Himalayan foothill zone and Southeast Asia, including Burma and Thailand.
  • Humans have introduced free-ranging populations of this deer in Sri Lanka, Australia and the United States, including Texas, Florida, and Hawaii.
• Habitat:
  • It appears to prefer dense forests; however, they are often observed in clearings, grasslands and occasionally wet grasslands.
  • This variation is usually associated with time of year and food distribution.
• Conservation status
  • IUCN: Endangered
  • Wildlife Protection Act 1972: Scheduled I 

Key facts about the Rajaji Tiger Reserve

• It is spread over three districts of Uttarakhand: Haridwar, Dehradun and Pauri Garhwal.
• It is situated along the hills and foothills of the Shiwalik ranges.
• In the year 1983, Rajaji Wildlife Sanctuary was merged with Motichur and Chilla wildlife sanctuaries and made into Rajaji National Park.
• It was named after the famous freedom fighter Rajgopalachari popularly known as "Rajaji"
• It's location in a transition zone between temperate western Himalaya and central Himalaya enhances the species diversity.
• Vegetation: The area is covered with diverse forest types ranging from semi-evergreen to deciduous and from mixed broad-leaved to Terai grassland and has been classified as Indus-Ganges Monsoon Forest type.
• Flora: Rohini, Palash, Shisham, Sal, Sandan, Khair, Arjun, Baans, Semul, Chamaror etc.
• Fauna: Tiger and Asian Elephants. Leopard, Jungle cat and Himalayan Black Bear etc.

Q1) What are Shivalik Hills?

These are a sub-Himalayan Mountain Range running 1,600 km long from the Teesta River, Sikkim, through Nepal and India, into northern Pakistan. The range runs parallel with the Himalayan system from Haridwar on the Ganges to the banks of the Beas River. The hills have an average height of 900 to 1,200 m. They are chiefly composed of low sandstone and conglomerate hills, the solidified and up-heaved detritus of the great range in their rear, the intermediate valley lying between the outer hills and the Mussoorie. 

Source: In a first, hog deer spotted inside Rajaji Tiger Reserve