Some animals to be sterilised in Pilikula park

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, May 13: Some animals at Dr. Shivarama Karanth Biological Park at Pilikula will be sterilised as their numbers have increased drastically.

This phenomenon was more in species such as deer, sambar and black buck, Director of the park H.J. Bhandary told The Hindu.

He said that these species had been giving birth to young ones at a rapid pace. Three barking deer were born recently.

Of them, one was six days old. Five black bucks and two deer were born in the past three months.

Two jackals were born a month ago and their number in the park had increased to 10. The park had 35 jackals sometime ago. The authorities decided to keep only four in the park and released the rest in the Western Ghats, he said.

Mr. Bhandary said that the park had 30 sambars, 42 spotted deer and 40 black bucks now – more than it could afford to keep. The park had 12 barking deer. Of them, one was sent to the Bannerghatta National Park near Bangalore recently.

“We will shortly perform vasectomy on the dominant males among the deer, sambars and black bucks to control their numbers.’’ The lifespan of these species was up to 18 years. “It is not for the first time the park is sterilising such animals. We first did it in 2003, and thrice later,’’ he said.

Mr. Bhandary said that the park authorities had planned to keep only 15 animals in each enclosure. Many snakes bred in the park. In addition, the park workers rescued snakes whenever people called them for help.

The park had released snakes in the Western Ghats whenever their numbers increased.

Stating that the high rate of breeding of animals indicated that the park atmosphere was conducive for them, Mr. Bhandary said that the number of black bucks brought from Ranebennur had increased in the park. “Some people were sceptical about the survival of the animals here when they were brought from Ranebennur for the first time,” he said.