Nine deer rescued from Taramani and neighbouring areas by the Forest Department last month died at the Guindy National Park (GNP) over a period of two weeks, which, officials say, was primarily due to shock encountered during the rescue efforts.
This has once again brought into focus the dangers faced by deer that are straying out in the open.
Forest Department officials, on condition of anonymity, told The Hindu that these nine deer died “primarily of shock, heart failure, and complications from ingestion of plastic.”
“Post mortems were conducted on these dead animals and the main reason was found to be death due to shock. This could have been because they were captured from an open area where they were roaming around for a long time, and suddenly they found themselves in a new environment,” an official said.
According to the official, these deer deaths did not happen on a single day, but happened over a period of time, which another official said, was around two weeks. “Nothing has happened here [at the GNP]. The deer are being cared for properly and medicines are also being given to ensure that the plastic these deer ingested when they were outside is removed through motions.”
“Deer are very gentle animals and they cannot withstand shock. They were brought to the GNP after they were captured using nets, and other means. Plus, we don’t know what methods they used while capturing them as it would not be advisable to use capturing methods used in forests in a city environment where the terrain is different,” one of the officials said.
According to officials, these deer had strayed outside Taramani and had been eating a lot of food, waste, and plastic that was available there.
Both the officials who spoke to The Hindu said six of the rescued deer were in good health and had recuperated quickly. “They have been released at the GNP. Another 24 deer are currently in a protected zone and they are being given proper food, medicines, and vets are currently monitoring them every couple of days,” the officials said.
“We have had a success rate of 75-80% of survival, which is quite good for deer,” the official said.
‘Deaths are rumours’
However, a senior member of the rescue team denied that there were any deaths of the deer that were rescued by them and handed over to the GNP.
“These are all rumours. None of the deer that were rescued have died,” the official added.
