An adult spotted deer was found lying dead with deep wounds amidst a residential area in Sivarakottai on Monday morning.
Villagers suspected that the male deer could have strayed into the village after being chased by hounds let out by hunters. Forest department sources said that the deer was around three years old and had “dog bites.” It had horns measuring over a foot.
“The wound is so deep that it does not look like a bite by any stray dog. It must be by some hound of the hunters,” said a resident and farmers’ association leader M. Ramalingam. He said a similar incident was reported in the village last year. The deer and wild boar are said to frequently climb down the thick forests of Western Ghats and stray into the farms and waterbodies in the villages of Sivarakottai, Swamimallampatti and nearby areas in search of food and water. The carcass was handed over to a team of forest officials from the Usilampatti Forest Range. After completing the post-mortem, the carcass was cremated, the source added.
