The Shuklaphanta National Park  has started to translocate swamp deer to the Chitwan National Park (CNP) from Wednesday.

A female pair were transported to the CNP on the first day of the translocation project that aims to move 25 swamp deer—five males and 20 females.

The translocation is expected to complete in 10 days, said Bed Kumar Dhakal, the chief conservation officer of Shuklaphanta. 

Swamp deer were found in the CNP until 1960s, but their population died out, mainly due to hunting and habitat encroachment, officials said.  

Shuklaphanta has the most number of swamp deer of any other protected areas in the country. According to an official estimates, there are well over 2,500 swamp deer in Shuklaphanta these days.

Last year, five swamp deer from Shuklaphanta were translocated to the Bardiya National Park.

By shifting swamp deer in other areas, Dhakal said, they plan to improve their breeding and survival rates.