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A full-grown male spotted deer was killed by dogs near Aarey forest in yet another case highlighting the threat posed by free-ranging dogs to wildlife. Wildlife conservationists say the dog population near forest areas must be controlled.

A forest department official said, “On Monday night, we received a call reporting that a male spotted deer had been attacked by free-ranging dogs near a forested patch close to Filter Pada in Aarey Milk Colony. Our team immediately rushed to the spot, and the injured deer was taken to the animal hospital at SGNP [Sanjay Gandhi National Park], where it later succumbed to its injuries.”

An eyewitness informed the forest department that a group of four to five free-ranging feral dogs chased a herd of spotted deer grazing in the area and attacked a male deer after cornering it from all sides. Locals in the area shooed the dogs away and moved the injured deer to the side of the road. It was found that the animal had suffered severe injuries near its tail and hind legs.

Stray dog population

The increasing population of feral dogs in Aarey and on the periphery of SGNP has become a major concern, which wildlife enthusiasts have flagged several times, as these canines pose a serious threat to spotted deer, barking deer, leopards, and other species. Some locals have also been demanding that the BMC work with the forest department and take effective measures to curb the growing population of feral dogs by taking initiatives, such as animal birth control.

‘Dogs can disrupt ecosystems’

Former Assistant Commissioner Wildlife, SGNP, Dr Shailesh Pethe, said, “The predatory behaviours and pack hunting of the stray dogs can also be equally detrimental to herbivores. Given the opportunity, dogs can significantly disrupt or modify intact ecosystems well beyond the areas occupied by people.” Pethe added, “These animals are all mammals and can share a large number of pathogens. The most common ones are highly infectious and fatal.”

‘A huge threat’

Wildlife Conservationist Kedar Gore from the Corbette Foundation said, “Free-ranging dogs are a huge threat to wildlife on multiple fronts, including the predation of herbivores, ground-nesting birds and other smaller animals; hybridisation among jackals and wolves affecting the gene pool; and potential risk of transmission of diseases such as rabies and canine distemper among the wild animals. The presence of free-ranging, stray, or pet dogs around wildlife areas attracts leopards, thus increasing the chances of human-wildlife negative interactions. It is of utmost importance to keep dogs in fringe areas vaccinated, sterilised, and confined to captivity under their owner’s care for the long-term conservation of wildlife.”