Stray dogs in IIT-M kill 2 deer in 2 weeks

Within two weeks, stray dogs in the campus have killed two deer, including a critically endangered black buck. On Thursday the morning, walkers were shocked to see an injured deer on the ground gasping for breath. It was clearly attacked by dogs and had its intestines spilled on the road.

“Although the number of attacks on deer are on the rise, we are yet to receive any response from either the IIT or the forest department,” said a lab technician. “Whenever IIT Madras wants to take some protective measures, there is always a dog loving group taking counter measures,” he added.

“The forest department ceded away the land administration rights to IIT Madras during early 60s when it was developed. That was a big mistake on the part of state government. IIT Madras is part of Guindy reserve forest and a great injustice is being meted out to the flora and fauna inside the campus,” rued E Seshan, a retired government employee with Zoological Survey of India. Those protecting the stray dogs fail to understand that dogs and deer cannot co-exist and there is no science in this. Further dogs can easily be moved out of IIT and protected outside the campus, but deer, if caught, will die due to cardiac arrest, Seshan said.

Wildlife warden C H Padma said that the foresters were attending to the issues related to ungulates inside the IIT campus. “We have already reached out to the city corporation to catch the stray dogs and place them in shelters,” the wildlife warden said.