Close on the heels of the death of seven leopard cubs at the Bannerghatta Biological Park (BBP), 15 deer succumbed at the park over a period of time.
In August, a herd of deer were relocated from St. John’s College premises to BBP by the Forest Department. “Of these, five deer succumbed to injuries due to infighting in August. On September 19, five deer were reported to have died and on September 20, five more died,” said A.V. Surya Sen, Deputy Conservator of Forests and Executive Director, Bannerghatta Biological Park.
The death of 10 deer in two days was due to bacterial infections. “The deer died due to gut-related issues,” Mr. Sen said.
Recently, seven leopard cubs died at BBP after being infected by Feline panleukopenia, a highly contagious viral disease. Mr. Sen said that the deaths of the leopard cubs and the deer were not related.
Following the recent death of animals at BBP, Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre is expected to visit the park on Thursday to review the situation.
