The deer park on Bhanja Vihar campus at Berhampur University. Picture by Gopal Krishna Reddy

Berhampur, April 28: The gentle movements of the spotted deer can add to the beauty of any natural location.

Sadly, more than 50 spotted deer in the park on the Bhanja Vihar campus are left unwanted and uncared for. Neither the Berhampur University authorities nor the forest department are ready to take care of these animals.

Be it the scorching sun or stormy rain, the animals have no place to take shelter in the park. There is only one large cement tub and another small tub to provide drinking water to over 50 deer.

“The deer park, spread over 2.8 hectares, was started inside Berhampur University at Bhanja Vihar with only one male and one female deer in 1989 when M.Y. Rao was the administrator of the university. The deer were gifted by the state forest department. The present number of these deer has crossed 50, including 20 adult males,” said Prof. Ramesh Chandra Chowdhury, Head of the department, zoology, Berhampur University.

This park is under the direct management of the zoology department of the university since 1989.

The Central Zoo Authority of India had accorded ‘Mini Zoo’ status to this deer park two years ago.

At present, there is only one caretaker to look after the spotted deer. “We have a caretaker here, despite a shortage of staff in the zoology department. Though there are no regular veterinary doctors to take care of the ailing deer inside the park, we have arranged for a government veterinary doctor who is presently posted near Korapali to take care of these animals,” Chowdhury said.

“Despite financial constraints, we are spending Rs 2.9 lakh on their food per annum, and it is under budgetary provision. But the rate of their feed is growing and the university is not in a position to allot more funds to the deer park,” Chowdhury said.

According to officials at the university, the financial constraints and shortage of staff has compelled them to approach the forest department and Nandankanan Zoo.

“The authorities at Nadankanan refused with a plea that the zoo is over populated with spotted deer,” he said.

The university authorities alleged that though the chief wildlife warden of Orissa had a formal memorandum of understanding signed with Berhampur University to look after this deer park and its expansion project through direct management, no steps have been taken up so far.

Director of Nandankanan Zoo, Sudarshan Panda, said the university has never approached them.

“We have never ever been approached by anyone from the Berhampur University. If there is such a situation, they must first let us know, and only then will we be able to help,” said Panda.