Three spotted deer died after being hit by a speeding train near Arakkonam railway station in Ranipet on Thursday.
Officials of the Forest Department said that at around 10 a.m., a few RPF, (Railway Protection Force), personnel, Arakkonam, spotted the deer along the track towards Chenna. They immediately alerted the Arcot forest range officials and the local police.
A team of forest officials, including a veterinarian, reached the spot and retrieved the animals’ carcasses. After a post-mortem, the deer were cremated. “The spotted deer might have strayed into human habitation in search of food because the area where they were found dead is far away from their habitat,” said S. Saravana Babu, forest range officer in Arcot.
Ranipet district has been experiencing searing heat for the past few days with temperatures wheeling between 40 and 43 degrees Celsius. The Ammanur reserve forest (RF) is a natural habitat for spotted deer in Arakkonam and surrounding areas. The RF is located around one kilometre from the Arakkonam railway station, forest officials said.
Wild animals straying into human habitation in the area, especially spotted deer, was mainly due to two reasons– the steady increase in deer population in the RF with no predators to control its growth or the change in its behavioural patterns, especially feeding on food wastes in human areas, they added.
Residents, who are mostly farmers and wage labourers, have been sensitised by forest officials to save wild species from stray dogs and poaching. They have also been advised to alert the officials, if any such instances come to their notice.
