Coimbatore is witnessing many incidents of spotted deer straying out of forests and becoming victims of stray dog attack. Sources from areas near Maruthamalai said several incidents of stray dogs chasing and attacking spotted deer had taken place this year.
A person associated with a non-governmental organisation said that a spotted deer was killed by stray dogs on Bharathiar University campus on Thursday.
On Friday, a male spotted deer sought refuge in a narrow space between two houses at Murugan Nagar near Kalveerampalayam after being chased by dogs. It was bleeding from the base of its antlers. According to the Forest Department it bled from an injury to its velvet antlers, the soft antlers that grow after the annual sheds its full-grown antlers.
A. Sukumar, forest veterinary officer of Coimbatore Forest Division, said that death due to post-capture myopathy was very high in the case of spotted deer, wherein they died of shock and stress caused while they were captured for treatment.
“They are very afraid of human presence and touch. Therefore, capturing and treating spotted deer is not recommended much in the case of minor injuries due,” he said.
District Forest Officer D. Venkatesh said the deer found at Murugan Nagar was saved after the Department staff chased away the dogs.
“The deer had shed its antlers naturally and the velvet antlers had just started growing. The velvet antler sprouts got injured when the deer hit its head against a compound wall while attempting to escape. Once the staff chased away the dogs, the deer managed to run into the nearby forest”, he said,
Asked whether population increase was the reason for spotted deer coming out of the forests and staying into places such as the university campus, I. Anwardeen, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Coimbatore Circle), said the species were known for moving into areas where palatable grasses grow.
Apart from stray dog attacks, incidents of poaching spotted deer and sourcing of venison from injured or dead deer, which were attacked by stray dogs, have also been reported in Coimbatore Forest Division.
In July this year, the Forest Department apprehended four men who ventured into a reserve forest area at Sirumugai to hunt spotted deer, which falls under Schedule III of the Wildlife (Protection) Act.
In another case in September, the department imposed a fine on 13 persons on charges of sourcing venison from a dead deer in Periyanaickenpalayam forest range. The department also took disciplinary action against a forest range officer and two others on charges of negligence in the investigation.
