The deer rescued from Patipata village. Telegraph picture

Kendrapara, Oct. 10: Animals straying into areas close to human habitation has exposed them to man-made threat.

An injured spotted deer was rescued from a village area on Tuesday while the body of a wild boar was retrieved from a nearby locality on the fringes of protected forest area at the Mahakalpada mangrove forest range.

The residents of the Pitapata village saved the deer when feral dogs were chasing it. The animal, which had strayed into the village, was handed over to wildlife sanctuary officials. “The deer is safe and out of danger. It is fatigued and in distressed condition. Forest officials are looking after the animal,” said a forest official.

“The local residents have saved the deer from canines. However, the wild boar has been killed. The body that has been retrieved bore injury mark. We are investigating into the incident,” said divisional forest officer, Rajnagar Mangrove (wildlife) forest division Manoj Kumar Mahapatra.

The animals might have strayed into the village in search of food.

Deer straying from protected forest areas into sanctuary-side human settlements is a common occurrence in these parts. The trespassing deer often trouble both local settlers and wildlife personnel. They ravage the crop fields at will, while there are instances of affected villagers trapping and killing the animals in retaliation. These fast-breeding animals, while straying into village areas, also become soft target of poachers.

The population growth of these species has been phenomenal in recent years. Though regular census of these animals is yet to take place, over 5,000 spotted deer inhabit the swampy wetland and mangrove forests in these parts.

Mangrove forest cover within the sanctuary shelters thousands of wild boars and plant-eating herbivores. But in recent years, the rise in population of these animals has emerged as a major cause of worry for wildlife sanctuary officials.

With thickly-populated villages dotting the periphery of forest, man-wild boar conflict had reached a flashpoint in the past years.