37 chitals died at Kanha Tiger Reserve

37 chitals died at Kanha Tiger Reserve since January 4
TNN | Jan 12, 2013, 01.05 AM IST

BHOPAL: Six spotted deers ( chitals), kept in enclosure at Kanha Tiger Reserve in Mandla district, have died under mysterious circumstances on Friday, taking the total toll to 37 since January 4.

The deers were kept in the soft enclosures, to be fed to hand reared tiger cubs at the Ghorela camp.

The cause of their death appears to be severe cold, but the exact reason will be known only after histopathology report, park director J S Chouhan told TOI.

"Inadequate arrangement at the enclosure to protect them from cold, led to the incident. In wild, they save themselves taking shelter under trees or warm places," said a wildlife activist wishing anonymity.

Initial autopsy report suggests that their lungs and other internal organs were swollen, coupled with symptoms of pneumonia. Extreme cold condition led to gradual decline of their health and they died.

"The mercury in the area where they were caged dropped to sub-zero condition and the animals could not withstand the sudden climate change," vet Dr Sandeep Agrawal told media.

Their viscera would be sent to for further studies to find out the exact cause of their death.

This shows the poor understanding of our forest officials. A lot of our forest officials are simply managers devoid of any forest knowledge. Hopefully this episode will force them to take more care and seek expert advice.