Thoothukudi District Forest Officer Abhishek Tomar has placed under suspension three Forest Department personnel for failing to follow the standard operating procedure (SOP) while rescuing a stray sambar deer that died at Udangudi near Tiruchendur on Monday.
When the forest personnel rescued the four-year-old female sambar deer that strayed into Udangudi near Tiruchendur, a “wrong knot” allegedly used by them to catch it ended up strangulating it to death, residents said.
Mr. Tomar visited the spot and questioned the personnel involved in the botched rescue operation.
Holding that Forester Anand, Guards Kandasamy and Joshua had not followed the SOP laid down by the Forest Department while rescuing wild animals, Mr. Tomar placed them under suspension.
“The post-mortem report has revealed that extreme shock the deer had suffered during the rescue operation led to its death. Strangulation was ruled out.
The animal was panicked by the wrong knot wreathed around its neck during the rescue operation. Hence, they have been placed under suspension even as a higher-level inquiry is going on,” said Mr. Tomar.
