Mumbai: Sambar found injured in Kandivli kept under observation at SGNP

The sambar that was found injured in Kranti Nagar, Kandivli East

An injured sambar was spotted in the jungle area of Kranti Nagar, Kandivli East, last morning. While the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) managed to rescue the animal and take it to Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) for treatment, the animal's condition isn't very stable.

A commonly found deer in SGNP and surrounding areas, a sambar is a huge animal weighing around 250 kg. The animal found yesterday is suspected to have sustained injuries after falling off a hillock in Kranti Nagar. It had several bruises, was heavily dehydrated and under severe stress. WCCB volunteers first constructed a makeshift shed to shade the animal, and then fed it water while waiting for an SGNP vet and a team of forest officials.

Ankit Vyas, a volunteer, told mid-day, "We received a call around 10.30 am on Sunday about the injured deer. On reaching the spot, we saw it was a sambar; it was completely dehydrated. With temperatures beginning to soar now, regular waterholes have started drying up, and animals venture out in search of water. We suspect that this deer too was looking for water when it fell off and got injured because of stones and thorns.

"We gave it water after building a shed. The doctor tranquilised the animal to administer glucose and take it to the medical centre in SGNP for further treatment. The animal will be kept under observation for 24 hours before being released in the forest again."

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