Kochi: At least 10 more deer are showing symptoms of an unknown disease at the deer park in Tripunithura Hill Palace museum where 15 of the animals died last week. The authorities are still in the dark about the disease killing the animals in the one-acre park, which currently houses 280 spotted deer and 36 sambar deer. “Eight to ten animals with the symptoms are refusing to eat food. Their health is being closely monitored,” an official said. However, the condition of all other animals is satisfactory.
“We’ve been giving them medicines since June 15 when the deer death first occurred. The medicines were revised on the direction of experts from the district animal husbandry department on June 19. Now the deer have started taking food and their health is satisfactory, except for a few,” said E. Dineshan, registrar of the Centre for Heritage Studies (CHS) which is in charge of the deer park.
Meanwhile, the report of the laboratory test held in Thiruvananthapuram would be available on June 25. Earlier, an eight-member team of veterinary surgeons headed by deputy director of animal husbandry had arrived at the park on June 19 and collected the samples. “We’re yet to figure out the disease. They had promised to give us the report in five days while collecting the samples,” the official said. The deaths happened even as the authorities were planning to relocate the deer to Thekkady and Thrissur in a phased manner.
