Transportation of swamp deer is considered one of the riskiest animal exchange operations between zoos. In the wild, these creatures are prey and are hardwired to be alert and restless at the slightest sense of danger. So, when 15 swamp deer arrived by road from Lucknow at the zoo here on Sunday, the accompanying staff had a harrowing experience to narrate.
“The 14 zoo staff travelled like a band of gypsies,” said zoo veterinarian Jacob Alexander. The staff, who had practically lived in the three trucks and one car that formed the convoy heading back to the capital, had kept a careful eye out for any signs of distress in the animals.
Though one deer succumbed to stress shortly after being loaded onto the vehicle on October 24, the mission is being considered a success. The transfer marks the completion of the deal with the Lucknow zoo to which a pair of ostriches, a jungle cat, and six bonnet macaques were given. Swamp deer have a very high mortality rate and fall under the ‘vulnerable’ category of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Before heading to Lucknow, the Zoo Department had to prepare a plan of action for the deer’s safety — from the design of the crates, the time and method of tranquilising them and caution during loading and unloading. The group also made sure that their strategies were flexible, depending on the problems that could crop up during the journey.
They opted for a different route from the one they took to Lucknow. “We had to. The route via Hyderabad passed Madhya Pradesh and the roads there are terrible. None of the deer would have survived, which is why we opted for another road,” said Dr. Alexander.
