The authorities of an Arunachal Pradesh district bordering Myanmar have proposed rewards for two college students for rescuing a barking deer baby.
Their act is considered unprecedented in Changlang, a district where hunting is a passion and the preference for bushmeat is high.
Wangwang Tangha and Shonghom Hallang, both fourth-semester Arts students of Rangfrah Government College in district headquarters Changlang, found the fawn trapped inside a transformer barricade on February 14. The duo from Ngechang village in the district contacted the local administration and handed the male fawn over to the officials of the Forest Department.
Mr. Wangwang said a few students noticed the trapped fawn around 9 a.m. but ignored it as they were getting late for college. “I managed to rescue the animal, which attacked me probably out of fear,” he said.
“Some of my friends suggested we should feast on the baby deer as it was a godsend on Valentine’s Day. Our teachers and the leaders of the All Muklom Students’ Union advised us not to kill the animal,” he said.
He and his friend then took the fawn to the office of the district’s Deputy Commissioner, Sunny K. Singh, about 15 km from the college.
“We had the deer’s health examined by Forest officials and sent it to the Miao Mini Zoo (in the district). The Forest officials said it will be released in the Namdapha National Park and Tiger Reserve after two months of rehabilitation,” Mr Singh told The Hindu.
“In appreciation of their heart-warming act, we have recommended their names for rewards under the existing provisions in the Forest Department,” he said.
