HYDERABAD: The initiative to reintroduce mouse deer in the Amrabad Tiger Reserve (ATR) is being implemented successfully and likely to reach the set target soon, said Mahendar Reddy, ATR’s wildlife biologist.
In September 2017, the State Forest Department decided to reintroduce the Indian spotted Chevrotain, commonly called mouse deers in the forests of Telangana, where they were historically present but considered locally extinct. Experts believe that their descending population was due to their small size, which had made them a target for poachers, apart from the destruction of their habitat. Till date, 17 batches of mouse deer have been monitored and released into the wild habitat.
Mouse deer are important for maintaining the ecological balance as they prey on eagles, leopards and hyenas, among others, said Mahendar. He explained that their survival is crucial as many are dependent on them for food, apart from seed dispersal, which helps in the propagation of regenerative vegetation.
In 2009, six mouse deer — four females and two males — were bred at the breeding centre at Nehru Zoological Park in Hyderabad, Mahendar said, adding that a pilot study was held at the Pichakuntla Cheruvu in Mannanur Range, which is an undisturbed area with a perennial water body.
The animals were released in an enclosure covering 2.14 hectares. It had a solar fence, a solar-powered borewell and CCTV cameras to monitor the animals. Explaining the process of reintroduction, he said, “We followed the guidelines of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and implemented the process of stabilisation, where we stabilised the population of these animals and provided them with more food in less area. Later in the acclimatisation phase, we provided them with less food. In the pre-release phase, we didn’t provide any food and they were mostly dependent on fallen fruits and adapted to the forest environment.”
The Forest Department with technical assistance from the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) released eight mouse deer in each batch in a 3:1 male-to-female ratio, Mahendar said. “In two more batches, we will reach the set target of releasing 250 mouse deer,” he added.