The Chief Wildlife Warden of the Tamil Nadu Forest Department has sought a report on the deaths of 31 spotted deer at the Millennium Park in the Bharat Heavy Electrical Limited’s township at Kailasapuram on the outskirts of Tiruchi.
Taking a serious note of the mass death of deer — a Schedule-III animal under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 — the Chief Wildlife Warden is said to have asked the forest officials in Tiruchi to carry out a detailed investigation to ascertain the need for a shift from routine fodder.
Feeding pattern
The investigation will revolve around the feeding pattern being followed by the park keepers, and whether the caretakers are aware of the toxicity of ‘subabul’ ( leuceana leucocephala) leaves , and the mechanism being followed to provide treatment when the animals fall sick. The report is expected by November 7.
District Forest Officer D. Sujatha said that there had been instances of death of one or two deer in the reserve forest areas. But mass death in captivity was rare. All options will be explored to prevent such incidents in the future, the official said. Since 25 of the 31 dead deer were does, emphasis would be placed on figuring out the disparity in the mortality rate based on gender.
