A four-year-old female spotted deer was found dead, with injuries marks on the body, near Palar, Arcot town, Ranipet, on Tuesday.
Officials of the Forest Department said S. Venkatesan, a farmer in Thengal village near Melvisharam, noticed the body of the deer around 11 a.m. on the open government land near the waterbody. Immediately, he alerted the forest officials and the police.
Soon, a team of forest officials, including a veterinarian, reached the spot and recovered the carcass of the animal. A post-mortem was conducted on the spot. “The spotted deer might have strayed into the human habitation in search of food. She was roaming near the lake area. She might have died due to injuries inflicted by stray dogs,” said S. Saravana Babu, Forest Range Officer (Arcot). Forest officials said that the Ranipet district has been experiencing searing heat for the past few days, with the temperature soaring between 30 and 33 degrees Celsius. Thengal and Navlock villages are located near waterbodies, where a large number of spotted deer have had been spotted.
These areas are located on the fringe of Mahimandalam Reserve Forest in Sholinghur taluk.
Residents, who are mostly farmers and wage labourers, were briefed by forest officials on rescuing wild animals from stray dogs, and were warned against poaching.
