CHENNAI: An adult female spotted deer, which was struggling to deliver a fawn on the IIT-M campus was rescued by the wildlife authorities on Thursday. Vets from the Besant memorial animal dispensary (BMAD) dissected and removed the still-born fawn.
Chennai wildlife warden Manish Meena said information about the deer struggling to deliver the fawn was passed on to them on Wednesday. However, the animal could not be traced immediately. When a team of forest staff searched the IIT-M campus on Thursday, they located the animal, which was immediately shifted to the BMAD.
Josika Navukkarasu, a chief veterinarian from the BMAD said when their team examined the deer, it was found to be an experienced mother, who had already delivered fawns.
When they checked the deer, the baby was not in a good position. Usually, the head and the forelimbs will come out first. However, in this case, the foetus got twisted inside the deer’s body. The foetal width was larger than the pelvic inlet. Due to this, the mother was unable to deliver the fawn, she said.
During the diagnosis, the team found out that the fawn had died already.
“So, the team had removed the dead fawn by dissecting the mother. ”
Once the procedure was over and the adult female deer was sufficiently rehydrated, it was taken to the Children’s Park in Guindy.
The park has a spacious enclosure to rehabilitate treated wildlife, and hence the deer was shifted there, said Shravan Krishnan of the BMAD.
Now the deer is recouping and its health progress is monitored by the vets from the department as well as BMAD, said Manish Meena.