Barking deer strays into hotel near Dharamsala

A barking deer that strayed into a private hotel at Khaniyara near Dharamsala on Tuesday evening was rescued by local people with the help of animal activists and wildlife officials.

Dheeraj Mahajan, who is associated with NGO Kranti, said the barking dear had strayed into the hotel while being chased by stray dogs. The animal was injured, he said. “The hotel owner informed us and we soon rushed to rescue it. The animal was treated and later released into the wild, he said.

Mahajan said wild animals were straying into urban areas due to various reasons, including deforestation. “Poachers often attack and try to hunt down the animals that stray out of forests. We are sensitising people to the wildlife protection laws and what possible legal action can be initiated in case the animals are killed,” he said.

Awareness campaigns, Mahajan said, were yielding results as in the present case, the hotel owner alerted the wildlife officials.