Animal has highest protection by the Wild Protection Act 1972 and is protected under Scheduled 1 which is similar to the protection given to tigers
Veterinarian Dr Vinaya Jangle provided initial treatment to the animal on August 22
An Indian mouse deer, which was found in the Badlapur forest range with multiple pellet gun injuries, succumbed on Thursday, four days after it was brought to the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) for treatment. A mouse deer is a highly endangered and protected species. This is said to be the first incident of poaching in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.
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The deer was rescued by the team of the W.A.R.R. NGO from the Ambarnath-Badlapur forest on Sunday (August 22) and handed over to the forest department. The deer had survived a poaching attack, where it was targeted for bush meat. “The animal was brought to SGNP on Monday by officials from the Badlapur forest division. Veterinarian Dr Vinaya Jangle and her team provided initial treatment and planned to perform a surgery to remove the pellets,” said a forest department official.
X-Ray revealed multiple injuries sustained by the Indian mouse deer
During the medical examination, Dr Jangle discovered a fracture in one of its legs, along with a broken spinal cord. X-ray results revealed the presence of pellet bullets in its body. On Thursday, an expert veterinarian was going to perform the surgery after it became stable, but unfortunately, the deer lost his life on Thursday morning, the forest official said. The post-mortem of the deer has been conducted, and the report is awaited.
Meanwhile, Deputy Conservator of Forest (DCF) Sachin Repal from the Thane Forest Department (Territorial) has already instructed the concerned officials to investigate the incident. The wildlife conservationists and experts have called for a thorough investigation to identify and hold accountable those responsible for the shooting.
Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) volunteer Ankit Vyas said, “It is very unfortunate to see such an elusive, rare, and engendered animal with bullet injuries. We tried our best to stabilise it for the surgery, but unfortunately it did not make it.” The Indian mouse deer has the highest protection given by the WPA 1972, and it is protected in Schedule 1, which is similar to the protection given to the tigers.
Calling for a thorough and timely investigation, Wildlife Conservationist Kedar Gore from The Corbett Foundation said, “The Wildlife (Protection) Act was enacted in 1972, and it is indeed shocking and unfortunate that poaching still continues in many parts of India. This may be one of those incidents that have come to light and many more that may have gone unnoticed…A thorough and timely investigation must be done, and those guilty must be given the strictest punishment under the applicable laws.”
Honorary Wildlife Warden of Thane District Pawan Sharma said that this is an alarming incident and the forest department has already initiated necessary investigations and actions.
“Hunting, attempting to hunt, or even planning to hunt any wild animal is prohibited under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Anyone involved in such activities can be booked under a non-bailable offence with a jail term between three and seven years and a fine of Rs 25,000 to one lakh as per the latest amendment of the act in 2022, which is in effect from 2023,” Sharma said. He said that the people living near forest areas should be vigilant and must report any such incident to the forest department.
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