Deer chased by wild dogs rescued, released back into forest

COIMBATORE: A deer calf, being chased by wild dogs in Jambukandi, was rescued by forest department staff and treated for injuries before it was left in the forest. Officials suspect that the calf was separated from its mother and siblings while it was running away from the dogs.

Early Saturday morning, villagers in Chinna Jambukandi heard a small deer calf’s panicked wails and saw it running out of the forest border and into the village. Realizing that it was probably being chased by some wild animals, most likely dogs, they immediately informed the forest department. “Forest department officials reached the spot within five minutes and managed to convince the scared deer not to run away from them. The deer was then rescued and taken to the Anaikatti veterinary hospital,” said district forest officer, D Venkatesh.

Veterinarians examined the scared animal and confirmed that there were no major injuries. “There were a few cuts and bruises on the deer, maybe suffered when it was escaping or when one of the dogs managed to get a hand on the animal,” said Venkatesh.

“We managed to calm the animal down and give it some water. Once we ruled out any injury and realized the animal was fit enough to move around and survive, we released it into the forest by 11 am,” he added.