Nashik – This morning, at around 10 AM, the Forest Department’s rescue helpline received information about the unusual behaviour of a wild Sambar deer in the Pathardi Phata area of Nashik city. Immediately, the Assistant Conservator of Forests (Territorial), Nashik, the Forest Range Officer Nashik (Territorial), and Forest Guards rushed to the spot along with the wildlife rescue team and a team from Rescue Nashik.
The Sambar deer was frightened and disoriented. It was being chased by dogs in the area, and in the process, it had suffered a serious injury to its left eye after colliding with a fence wire. It was found sitting under a tree on the service road near Ashwin Nagar, along the Mumbai-Agra National Highway.
With the help of the Police Inspector and staff of Ambad Police Station and the Nashik City Police Traffic Branch, traffic on the service road was stopped and the area was cleared. Subsequently, a wildlife veterinarian from Rescue Nashik administered a tranquilizer injection using a tranquilizer gun. After about 15 minutes, after confirming that the Sambar was completely unconscious, it was taken into custody and shifted to the wildlife treatment centre in Mhasrul in a rescue van.
Due to the deer’s frantic movements, there was a possibility of an accident on the highway or the animal’s death. This rescue operation was successfully carried out due to the excellent coordination between the Forest Department, Nashik City Police, and Rescue Nashik.
The Sambar deer is a female, approximately 5 to 6 years old. It is suspected that it may have come to the city from the forest behind Gawlane village. Currently, its condition is stable, and further treatment is being provided for the injury to its left eye.
This entire operation was carried out under the guidance of Deputy Conservator of Forests, Siddhesh Savardekar, of the West Division, Nashik, and under the supervision of Assistant Conservator of Forests (Territorial) Prashant Khairnar and Range Forest Officer Sumit Nirmal.
The wildlife rescue team, Abhijit Mahale of Rescue Nashik division, Honorary Wildlife Warden Vaibhav Bhogle, and their team successfully completed the operation.
Senior Police Inspector Jagvendra Singh Rajput and Police Inspector Sachin Khairnar of Ambad Police Station and their team, the Nashik City Traffic Police, and local citizens provided valuable cooperation in this operation.
This is an excellent example of the administration’s efforts to reduce conflict between wildlife and humans. Nashik residents, if you spot a wild animal, do not panic; immediately inform the Forest Department (Helpline: 1926).
