Three deer, which had strayed into human habitats in the district in search of drinking water, have died in a span of two days.
On Saturday, a five-year-old deer that had come near Tumari village, Sagar taluk, to drink from the Sharavathi river backwaters, was attacked by stray dogs, Deputy Conservator of Forests Mohan Gangolli told The Hindu .
On Friday, a deer that had come to the lake on the outskirts of Barur village in Sagar taluk was attacked by dogs. Villagers rescued the deer and administered it first aid, but by the time forest officials arrived with a veterinary doctor, the animal had breathed last. The deer had come to the village from the nearby protected forest of Basavanabyana where all the sources of water have dried up.
In another incident, a deer died after being hit by an unidentified vehicle on NH-206 near Sudur village. Ravi, a farmer from the village, said bison, wild boars and deer come to the lake and the farms on the outskirts of the village to quench their thirst. The wild animals that come in search of drinking water have also destroyed the maize, pineapple and ginger that farmers cultivate here as summer crops, he added.
Barring those in the forests on the fringe of the backwaters of Linganamakki, Bhadra, Tunga, Varahi and Ambligolla reservoirs, wild animals are in general facing acute shortage of drinking water as the water sources in forests have dried up.
