A deer in Bhitarkanika

Kendrapara, April 17: The scorching summer heat has triggered a man-animal conflict with deer straying into human habitats near Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary. Fresh water sources in the sanctuary have dried up because of the rise in mercury.

Looking for water, the deer have found their way into villages and vandalised crops. Trying to stop them from damaging their crops, villagers are trapping the deer with the help of nets.

The deer are also being exposed to the danger of poaching because they are venturing outside the sanctuary limits. Although saline water is in abundance in these mangrove rich areas, fresh water sources are few and far between.

“Fresh water sources in the deer’s habitation corridors have dried up in some areas. But, the situation is yet to assume alarming proportions. There are, however, reports of deer making their way into human habitats on the fringes of the national park,” said Manoj Kumar Mahapatra, divisional forest officer of Rajnagar mangrove (wildlife) forest.

“The deer sustain on fresh water. Apart from the natural fresh water sources, the department had dug up more than 30 fresh water ponds in the mangrove zones where the deer live,” said Mahapatra.

They feed on leaves and shrubs, which are rich in moisture. So, they can subsist without water for considerable lengths of time. The animals also have a weakness for the vegetables growing in crop fields, which is another reason for them straying into nearby villages. Scarcity of water was not the sole cause for the deer turning itinerant, said one of the forest officials.

The forest department’s ponds are inadequate to quench the animals’ thirst, said the officials.

The department has intensified vigil to curb poaching. Deer leave the scene immediately after quenching their thirst from fresh water ponds. The risk of poaching is the highest when they make their way back to the forest. Deployment has been made accordingly at strategic places.

The deer population is on a fast rise within the national park. Though no official census of this species has been conducted as yet, the national park is home to an estimated 5,000 deer species.