Explore Barahsingha Tal At Pilibhit Tiger Reserve

Barahsingha Tal is a beautiful wetland topography, located in the rich Terai landscape of Pilibhit Tiger Reserve and considered to have special ecological significance and spectacular biodiversity. The pond is particularly well-known as a natural watering-place of the Barahsingha, or Swamp Deer--a beautiful, shy, rare animal, exceedingly well domesticated, and so only rarely seen, but with whom the region abounds.

Its antlers guide the naming because the male deer usually have more than twelve tines, the twelve-tined, which is how the male deer were referred to in Hindi as Barahsingha. One can easily find these noble animals in large numbers within the area, near Barahsingha Tal, due to the marshes that are abundant within and surrounding the waterbody, which is ideal for their dietary requirements. It is a favorite place within Pilibhit Tiger Reserve where people can sight the swamp deer in its natural habitat grazing and walking in shallow water bodies, and as herds.

A wonderful creature is the Barahsingha. The adult males grow up to the heights of the shoulders of about 44 to 46 inches (110120 cm) and have a length of head to body of close to 6 ft (180 cm). They are dense, woolly-coated, and yellowish-brown in the upper part and paler in the under part. They have a line of white spots up the length of their spine, and their throat, belly, inner thighs, and underside of the tail are white, giving them a very classy appearance on a green background. During the summer, their coat becomes a bright rufous-brown, which makes them look vibrant. The males tend to be stronger, with the females having a lighter colour. One can easily see Juvenile Barahsinghas many times, thereby mimicking and camouflaging with tall grasses and foliage.