TENKASI: After a spotted deer died in a stray dog attack on Tuesday, the sixth this year, residents of Kallathikulam village, where a private firm allegedly felled lakhs of trees on patta land covered by Hill Areas Conservation Authority to set up a solar power plant, said loss of forest cover forced the deer to stray into the village and come under attack.
According to the residents, a Coimbatore-based firm had purchased vast tracts of patta land surrounding their village and has been preparing to build a solar power plant. "The firm felled over a lakh trees. We approached the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court, which ordered status quo. Six spotted deer have died so far in our village.
They lost their natural habitat and pasture and strayed into human habitation. Some were bitten by dogs, and one died after hitting the fence. In separate incidents, a woman died and a boy was injured when deer collided with their two-wheelers," villagers said, adding the animals have also been damaging crops.
District Forest Officer R Rajmohan denied the allegations and attributed the deaths purely to dog bites. Citing official data, he said between 2020 and 2025, 117 spotted deer died due to dog attacks across six forest ranges in Tenkasi district. "A maximum of 59 deaths was reported in Kadayanallur range, and 29 in Alangulam range, where Kallathikulam is located. Seven deer died last year in Alangulam range and eight so far this year," he said.
Rajmohan added that he had written to the district administration seeking measures to control the stray dog menace in the forest fringe and nearby villages. "Based on the communication, the Collector A K Kamal Kishore has instructed the Animal Husbandry Department to implement Anti-Rabies Vaccination programmes for stray dogs and to carry out Animal Birth Control measures to sterilise them. We have initiated a survey of spotted deer population outside the Reserved Forest areas, and necessary action is being taken to prevent further incidents and ensure wildlife safety," he added.
He further said, "The private firm is planning to set up the solar plant over about 250 acres. The villagers demand that the land be declared a reserve forest. However, it is patta land, and we can only act based on the court's direction", adding that the spotted deer population has increased in the area as there are no natural predators like leopards.
