Spotted deer from Coimbatore’s defunct VOC Park Zoo released into the wild

A total of 26 spotted deer that had been housed in the now defunct VOC Park Zoo in Coimbatore were released into the wild on Monday, May 13, 2024

A total of 26 spotted deer that had been housed in the now defunct VOC Park Zoo in Coimbatore were released into the wild on Monday, May 13, 2024.

The Forest Department said that 10 adult males, 11 females and five fawns were released into the wild at the Siruvani foothills, falling under the Boluvampatti forest range. One spotted deer is left in the park as it was being treated for an ailment.

According to the Department, faecal pellets of all the spotted deer were collected and sent to the Advanced Institute for Wildlife Conservation (AIWC) at Vandalur to check the presence of diseases, especially tuberculosis. They were found free from diseases.

From March, authorities of the zoo stopped providing concentrated feeds for the deer and started giving forest fodders, which spotted deer consume in the wild, from Siruvani foothills.

The deer were carefully chased from the zoo enclosure into a modified truck of Coimbatore Corporation, which is used for capturing stray cattle, around 6 a.m. They were released into the wild around 9.30 a.m. The Department has tasked a team of frontline staff to monitor the deer to check whether they are able to forage in the wild.

The zoo is housing 20-odd sambar deer and the Department sent their faecal pellets to the AIWC for tests. District Forest Officer N. Jayaraj said the sambar deer would be released into the wild when they were fit for release, after following the same modalities.

Different varieties of birds and reptiles that were housed in the zoo were shifted to the Arignar Anna Zoological Park at Vandalur in Chennai, and Amirthi Zoological Park in Vellore district on November 3 last year.