CHENNAI: A three-year-old male Black Buck was found dead at KV Grounds inside Indian Institute of Technology - Madras (IIT-M) campus on Monday. The death report states that the animal was killed due to a dog bite.
This, however, is not the first time that a wild animal was mauled by stray dogs on campus. "At least ten Black Bucks and many more spotted deer have faced the same end in the last one year alone," said A
Murugesan, a ranger with the Forest Department.
Blackbuck is a Schedule-I species under the Indian Wildlife Act, 1972, making it one of the most endangered species. The male Black Buck can be identified easily by its long curling horns. The animal is known for its speed. "A male Buck cannot be chased down by one dog easily. Only a pack of dogs could have brought it down," said Susy Vergheese, a professor and resident at IIT-M.
She said that most residents have seen dogs chasing Deer and Black Bucks on campus. "Fawns are the quickest victim to dogs. Dogs carry away new-born fawns and there is no way to even know that they died, as they are lifted and hidden in bushes before they are eaten," she said.
An RTI plea filed by Antony Rubin, an animal rights activist and honorary welfare officer with the Animal Welfare Board of India, seeking details of animal deaths on the campus revealed that 220 deer and eight blackbuck died between 2014-2016 on the campus. In 2017, his RTI revealed that 86 Black Bucks had died.
The National Green Tribunal has issued a stern warning to IIT Madras to take appropriate measures to minimise wildlife deaths, and things seem to be improving going by the numbers.
Speaking to Express, Jane Prasad, the registrar of IIT-M said that dog-lovers on campus often offer impediment to preventing them on campus. "Many students and even staff rescue dogs from across the city
and bring them to the campus. We have told students not to feed strays, but they attract more dogs in the name of compassion. They fail to see the harm it's causing to the wildlife within the campus," she said. She added that the campus is focused on preventing garbage collection within the campus, so that dogs do not come in.