Deer at the Adina park

Malda, April 20: The staggering rise in the deer population at Adina Deer Park has spawned a new problem for the forest department.

Waking up to the problem of plenty but without plans to tackle it, park authorities are scurrying to release the antlered animals in the forests of north and south Bengal. They are also scouting for other deer parks with space to house the herbivores.

Though more than 60 deer have been relocated, the “residue population” of 80 poses a threat to the natural balance of the park.

Malda divisional forest officer (DFO) Debiprasad Sarkar said: “The deer count in the park is more than five times the optimum.”

Food supply has been the first casualty of the population explosion. Shrubs have been stripped bare and creepers nibbled clean.

Faced with an acute food scarcity, six of the state animals have died in as many months and more than 40 have succumbed to bovine anthrax, a contagious disease, since 1993-94.

“The problem would never have cropped up if the authorities had the foresight of looking beyond just the water supply and forest-like cover while setting up the deer park,” said a senior forest official on condition of anonymity.

“Eucalyptus and teak trees form the bulk of green cover in the park. The underbrush, on which the animals graze, has not been given any importance at all,” he added.

Eucalyptus trees are not conducive to preservation of forests. The trees, native to Australia, have an adverse effect on the vegetation surrounding them. The roots, which spread out over a large area, suck up much of the nutrients from the soil depriving shrubs and other indigenous plants. The leaves, too, do not decompose easily and suffocate ground vegetation. To make matters worse, animals do not browse on them.

Plans were mooted to convert the Adina forest, on the outskirts of Malda, into a deer park in 1977.

The move was part of the forest department initiative to generate revenue by bringing a slice of the wilderness nearer to the town.

The land, where exotic trees were planted to increase green cover, was hurriedly fenced to convert it into a refuge for the spotted deer (Cheetal).

A pair of deer was brought in from Sukna forest in 1981.

The deer numbers grew. So did the park’s popularity among visitors. A lake sprawled over 75 bighas drew hordes of birds, both local migrants and others that came all the way from Siberia.

Though it was suggested that that the dense tree cover be cleared in areas to promote the growth of smaller plants on which the deer browse, the forest department’s policy of not cutting “age-old” trees threw a spanner in the works.

“Now, we and the resident deer population are paying the price for their mistake,” the official

A motion, to give the area sanctuary status, was mooted over a decade ago. Nothing, however, has been done to implement it.

“Plans, to give visitors more value for money — by building a watch tower, constructing a guest house and a slew of other amenities — are also gathering dust,” official sources said.