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The sangai ( Meitei pronunciation: /sə.ŋai/) is an endemic and endangered subspecies of
Eld's deer Eld's deer (''Rucervus eldii'' or ''Panolia eldii''Pitraa, Fickela, Meijaard, Groves (2004). ''Evolution and phylogeny of old world deer.'' Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 33: 880–895.), also known as the thamin or brow-antlered deer, is ...
found only in
Manipur Manipur () ( mni, Kangleipak) is a state in Northeast India, with the city of Imphal as its capital. It is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland to the north, Mizoram to the south and Assam to the west. It also borders two regions of Myanm ...
,
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. It is also the state animal of Manipur. Its common English name is Manipur brow-antlered deer or Eld's deer and the scientific name is ''Rucervus eldii eldii''. Its original natural habitat is the floating marshy grasslands of the
Keibul Lamjao National Park The Keibul Lamjao National Park ( mni, Keibul Lamjao Leipakki Lampak) is a national park in the Bishnupur district of the state of Manipur in India. It is in area, the only floating park in the world, located in North East India, and an integr ...
, located in the southern parts of the
Loktak Lake , image = , caption = Different scenes of the Loktak lake of Manipur , alt = View of Loktak Lake and Phumdis , image_bathymetry = , caption_bathymetry = , location = Manipur , coords ...
, which is the largest freshwater lake in eastern India. The film ''The Return of Sangai'' (Manipuri film ''Sangai Hallakpa'' ) made by the Manipur Forest Department is about the Sangai and
Keibul Lamjao National Park The Keibul Lamjao National Park ( mni, Keibul Lamjao Leipakki Lampak) is a national park in the Bishnupur district of the state of Manipur in India. It is in area, the only floating park in the world, located in North East India, and an integr ...
.


Distribution and habitat

The
brow-antlered deer Eld's deer (''Rucervus eldii'' or ''Panolia eldii''Pitraa, Fickela, Meijaard, Groves (2004). ''Evolution and phylogeny of old world deer.'' Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 33: 880–895.), also known as the thamin or brow-antlered deer, is ...
or the dancing deer is found in its natural habitat only at Keibul Lamjao National Park over the floating biomass locally called ''
phumdi ) , native_name_lang = Meitei , other_name = phum phum‑thi , nickname = , settlement_type = Phumdis , image_skyline = Loktak Lake Another view.jpg , image_alt = , i ...
'' in the southeastern part of
Loktak Lake , image = , caption = Different scenes of the Loktak lake of Manipur , alt = View of Loktak Lake and Phumdis , image_bathymetry = , caption_bathymetry = , location = Manipur , coords ...
. It is located between 24°27’ N and 24°31’ N latitude and 93°53’ E and 93°55’ E longitudes. The park covers an area of 40 km2 and the home range of the deer in the park is confined to 15–20 km2. Phumdi is the most important and unique part of the habitat. It is the floating mass of vegetation formed by the accumulation of organic debris and biomass with soil. Its thickness varies from few centimeter to two meters. The humus of phumdi is black in color and very spongy with large number of pores. It floats with 4/5 part under water. The number of deer listed in the
Red Data Book The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biologi ...
was only 14 in 1975. After the declaration of the area as a national park and with strict conservation measures taken up by the Forest Department, the fear of its extinction has been greatly reduced.


Biology and behavior

The brow-antlered deer is a medium-sized deer, with uniquely distinctive antlers, measuring 100–110 cm. in length with extremely long brow tine, which form the main beam. The two tines form a continuous curve at right angles to the closely set pedicels. This signifies its name, brow-antlered deer, the forward protruding beam appears to come out from the eyebrow. The antlers of the opposite sides are unsymmetrical with respect to each other. The beams are unbranched initially whereas curvature increases as length increases and they get forked also. The sexes are moderately dimorphic in body size and weight. The height and weight of a fully grown stag may be approximately 115–125 cm at shoulder and 95 to 110 kg (210 to 230 lb) respectively. The height and weight of the female are shorter and less as compared to the male counterpart. The length of the body from the base to the ear up to the tail is about 145 to 155 cm in both sexes. The tail is short and rump patch is not pronounced. Sangai feed on a variety of water living plants, grasses, herbaceous plants, and shoots. ''
Zizania latifolia ''Zizania latifolia'', known as Manchurian wild rice (), is the only member of the wild rice genus ''Zizania'' native to Asia. It is used as a food plant. Both the stem and grain are edible. Gathered in the wild, Manchurian wild rice was an impor ...
'', ''
Tripidium bengalense ''Tripidium bengalense'', synonym ''Saccharum bengalense'', with the common names munj sweetcane, baruwa sugarcane or baruwa grass, is a plant of the genus ''Tripidium'' native to Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, northern India, Nepal, Bangladesh and ...
'', '' Erianthus procerus'', '' Erianthus ravernnae'', etc. are the favorite food plants of sangai. Feeding behavior of sangai can be easily seen over new shoots on freshly cut fire line area. It exhibits a bimodal activity pattern. Sangai starts grazing usually early morning approximately 4:30 am and generally continue up to 8:00 am. On cloudy morning the period may extend to 10:00 am. In the evening it starts at 3:00 pm and continue up to 6:00 pm. After feeding it takes rest. During day time it rests under thick and tall reeds and grasses. At night some of them even rest on the hillocks. The sangai has a maximum lifespan in the wild of around 10 years. Rutting takes place in the early spring months between February and May. Males compete with each other to gain control of a harem of females that they can then mate with. After a 220- to 240-day-long gestation period, normally a single calf is born. The young are spotted at birth; these spots fade as the animal grows. The young are weaned at 7 months of age, and becomes sexually mature from 18 months of age onwards.


Sangai in Meitei society

Culturally, the sangai finds itself embedded deep into the legends and folklore of the
Manipuris The Meitei people, also known as the Manipuri people,P.20: "historically, academically and conventionally Manipuri prominently refers to the Meetei people."P.24: "For the Meeteis, Manipuris comprise Meeteis, Lois, Kukis, Nagas and Pangal." is ...
. Based on a popular folk legend, the sangai is interpreted as the binding soul between humans and the nature. The slaying of the sangai, an unpardonable sin, is conceived as the rude breaking up of the cordial relationship between humans and the nature. When humans love and respect the sangai, it is respecting nature. In the sangai, therefore, humans find a way of expressing their love for the nature. Socially, the sangai is the symbol of a prized possession of the state. It is believed that the name sangai (''sa'' "animal" and ''ngai'' "in awaiting") was coined from its peculiar posture and behaviour while running. By nature, the deer, particularly the males, even when running for its life stops occasionally and looks back as if he is waiting for someone and hence the name.


In Meitei folklore

According to a story in
Meitei folklore Meitei folklore is the folklore and mythology of the Meitei people of Manipur Manipur () ( mni, Kangleipak) is a state in Northeast India, with the city of Imphal as its capital. It is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland to the n ...
(
Manipuri folklore Meitei folklore is the folklore and mythology of the Meitei people of Manipur, India. Such folklore is traditionally passed from generation to generation. Currently, the government of Manipur is planning to preserve the folklore of the Meitei p ...
), a hero named
Kadeng Thangjahanba ) , Image_Name = Meitei and Latin transliterations of "Kadeng Thangjahanba" and "Tonu Laijinglembi".jpg , Image_Caption = Meitei and Latin transliterations of "Kadeng Thangjahanba" and "Tonu Laijinglembi" , Aarne-Thompson Grouping = no ...
of
Moirang Moirang is a town in the Indian state of Manipur. It is situated approximately 45 km south of the state capital Imphal. It has an area of 269 km2 with a population of 62,187 in 67 villages. It is best known for the being the place of o ...
once captured a
gravid In biology and human medicine, gravidity and parity are the number of times a woman is or has been pregnant (gravidity) and carried the pregnancies to a viable gestational age (parity). These terms are usually coupled, sometimes with additional te ...
sangai from Torbung Lamjao for a gift to his beloved ladylove named
Tonu Laijinglembi ) , Image_Name = Meitei and Latin transliterations of "Kadeng Thangjahanba" and "Tonu Laijinglembi".jpg , Image_Caption = Meitei and Latin transliterations of "Kadeng Thangjahanba" and "Tonu Laijinglembi" , Aarne-Thompson Grouping = no ...
during an animal hunting expedition. However, as fate would have it, he found his beloved married to the king of
Moirang Moirang is a town in the Indian state of Manipur. It is situated approximately 45 km south of the state capital Imphal. It has an area of 269 km2 with a population of 62,187 in 67 villages. It is best known for the being the place of o ...
on his return. The heartbroken hero released the deer free in the wild of Keibul Lamjao. From that time onwards the place became the home of sangai. In another story in
Meitei folklore Meitei folklore is the folklore and mythology of the Meitei people of Manipur Manipur () ( mni, Kangleipak) is a state in Northeast India, with the city of Imphal as its capital. It is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland to the n ...
of
Manipur Manipur () ( mni, Kangleipak) is a state in Northeast India, with the city of Imphal as its capital. It is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland to the north, Mizoram to the south and Assam to the west. It also borders two regions of Myanm ...
, a prince named Pudangkoi of
Luwang Luwang is one of the seven clans of the Meitei people. Luwang consists of several Yumnaks which are native peoples of ancient Kangleipak (now Manipur), one of the States of India. Origin Luwang was the son of Iputhou Pakhangba also known as K ...
clan had, by the grace of a divine entity, transformed himself into a deer which has later on called sangai. Further, there were references of sangai head with crown of antlers, being decorated on the head of royal boat called
Hiyang Hiren Hiyang Hiren ( mni, ꯍꯤꯌꯥꯡ ꯍꯤꯔꯦꯟ) (literally, ''"large race boat"'') is a traditional royal race boat, used at the Hiyang Tannaba ceremony in the religious festival of Lai Haraoba. The boat is regarded as invested with spiri ...
. Identified as one of the rarest animal species in the entire world, the sangai is the apple of the eye for the people. Talk of Manipur, and one of the first things to introduce the state is the sangai, other than
polo Polo is a ball game played on horseback, a traditional field sport and one of the world's oldest known team sports. The game is played by two opposing teams with the objective of scoring using a long-handled wooden mallet to hit a small hard ...
, its
Manipuri classical dance , image = , alt = , caption = An illustration of the ''Manipuri Raas Leela'' dance, being depicted in a stamp from Armenia; transliterations of "Jagoi Raas" and "Manipuri Raas Leela", the terms in Meitei language (offi ...
, sports and films.


Danger of extinction

The sangai was believed to be almost extinct by 1950. However, in 1953 six heads of the sangai were found hovering at its natural habitat. Since then, the State Government has taken serious and positive measures for the protection of this rare and endangered species. The number of endangered deer sangai found in Manipur has increased from 204 in 2013 to 260, according to the latest census conducted in March 2016 jointly by Wildlife Wing, Forest department, State government, Manipur University and Wildlife Institute of India. The sangai faces a two-pronged danger to its life. Firstly, its habitat is steadily degenerating by reason of continuous inundation and flooding by high water caused as the result of artificial reservoir of the
National Hydroelectric Power Corporation NHPC Limited (erstwhile National Hydroelectric Power Corporation ) is an Indian government hydropower board under the ownership of Ministry of Power, Government of India that was incorporated in the year 1975 with an authorised capital o ...
Loktak , image = , caption = Different scenes of the Loktak lake of Manipur , alt = View of Loktak Lake and Phumdis , image_bathymetry = , caption_bathymetry = , location = Manipur , coords ...
. Secondly, poachers are out there to trap and slay the deer at the slightest opportunity. In 1983 the 103 megawatt capacity National Hydroelectric Power Corporation Loktak was commissioned with the objective of ensuring rapid development in the State. A maximum high water level of above mean sea level (MSL) is maintained in the Loktak Lake to feed the reservoir for the hydel project. This high water level had wreaked havoc in the
Keibul Lamjao National Park The Keibul Lamjao National Park ( mni, Keibul Lamjao Leipakki Lampak) is a national park in the Bishnupur district of the state of Manipur in India. It is in area, the only floating park in the world, located in North East India, and an integr ...
. The high water level, maintained continuously through the year, had disturbed the natural life cycle of the vegetation growth, the
phumdi ) , native_name_lang = Meitei , other_name = phum phum‑thi , nickname = , settlement_type = Phumdis , image_skyline = Loktak Lake Another view.jpg , image_alt = , i ...
, upon which the sangai thrives. The deer feed on several types of vegetation that grow on the phumdi. The vegetation also provides shelter to the deer and other wildlife in the park. The life-cycle of the phumdi involves floating on the water surface during season of high water as in the monsoons. In the lean season, when the water level reduces, the biomass come into contact with the lake bed and they secure the required nutrient from there. When the rains come again and they become afloat, the biomass have enough 'food'—the nutrients—stored in their roots and their life continues. What is happening now, according to local scientists who are studying the phenomena, is that with continuous high water in the lake throughout the year much of this process of 'feeding' on the nutrient in the lakebed had discontinued. The result—the biomass are losing weight and getting thinner by the year. Around January last week in 1999, it was reported that a large chunk of the biomass in the northern part of National Park had broken up into pieces and had drifted freely from the park area. This was a bad sign for the sangai habitat. It spelled out very clearly that the beginning of the end of the sangai habitat had begun. There are reports of local people cutting up the phumdi into sizable pieces and then towing away these with dugout canoe for 'selling' to fish culture owners. This is another potential danger to the sangai habitat. It meant humans are now aiding the process of annihilating the habitat area, supplementing to the rapid degeneration of the habitat.


Films

* ''The Return of Sangai'' is a documentary about
Keibul Lamjao National Park The Keibul Lamjao National Park ( mni, Keibul Lamjao Leipakki Lampak) is a national park in the Bishnupur district of the state of Manipur in India. It is in area, the only floating park in the world, located in North East India, and an integr ...
and Sangai *''
Paari (2000 film) ''Paari'' is a 2000 Manipuri film written by Aribam Gautam and directed by Aribam Syam Sharma. The movie stars R.K. Surchandra in the lead role. This children film is produced by Children's Film Society, India. The movie participated at National ...
'' - a children's movie by
Aribam Syam Sharma Aribam Syam Sharma is an Indian filmmaker and composer from Manipur. He debuted in the first Manipuri film ''Matamgi Manipur'' as an actor. In 1974, he directed his first movie ''Lamja Parshuram''. It became the first Manipuri film to run for 100 ...


See also

*
Keibul Lamjao National Park The Keibul Lamjao National Park ( mni, Keibul Lamjao Leipakki Lampak) is a national park in the Bishnupur district of the state of Manipur in India. It is in area, the only floating park in the world, located in North East India, and an integr ...
*
Eld's deer Eld's deer (''Rucervus eldii'' or ''Panolia eldii''Pitraa, Fickela, Meijaard, Groves (2004). ''Evolution and phylogeny of old world deer.'' Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 33: 880–895.), also known as the thamin or brow-antlered deer, is ...


References


External links


E-Pao.net - A Cry in the Wilderness - Salam Rajesh
* * https://archive.today/20041116135913/http://www.wii.gov.in/publications/newsletter/autumn2003/fromthewild.htm

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5478498 Mammals of India Cervines Symbols of Manipur