Siliguri (West Bengal): The forest department has ordered a thorough probe into frequent deaths of spotted deer at Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's dream project Bengal Safari Park in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal. The forest department will also probe the negligence of the authorities as just two days ago, an Australian Kangaroo Alex, which was rescued from the clutches of the wildlife smugglers in north Bengal and sheltered in Bengal Safari Park died reportedly because of food poisoning after consuming mushrooms.
As per records of the forest department, as many as 27 spotted deer died in the last two months at Bengal Safari Park spread over 297 hectares of land. According to West Bengal Forest Minister Jyotipriyo Mullick, a thorough inquiry will be conducted not just to ascertain the reasons behind the frequent deaths of the spotted deer, but also to find out the corrective measures to be taken to prevent them.
He also said that if negligence towards duties or procedural lapses is detected, disciplinary and departmental proceedings will also be initiated accordingly. Siliguri Optopic Society President Deepjyoti Chakraborty said, "Bengal Safari Park is one of the best Safari Parks in the country. Such negligence is not acceptable there. As poaching is a risk for the deer, there are many leopards in the nearby Mahananda Sanctuary, which can hunt the deers, if they start to search for prey."
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It is learnt that the matter of broken fencing walls of the deer enclosure was brought to the notice of the Bengal Safari Park authorities first by the Solitary Nature and Animal Protection Foundation, popularly known as SNAP Foundation. When contacted, SNAP Foundation director Koustav Choudhury said, "There have been allegations of negligence against Bengal Safari Park for several months. Recently, a kangaroo died. Now the deer enclosure is broken and the watch tower is in a poor condition." "The deer escaped from the specified enclosure and are at large but the park authorities are indifferent. Those deer will be killed by poachers and smuggled if they are not rescued quickly. We demand quick action," he added.
