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Patna zoo starts sterilising deer

          Patna: As opposed to the case of tiger, a spiralling population of spotted deer at Patna zoo has prompted its keepers to sterilise the antelopes to control its growth. "Our motive is to control their breeding. We have guidelines to check their population. If they grow after a certain level, it will be difficult for us to manage them. If they will not get proper care they will contract diseases and will finally die, so why should we to allow it," said Rakesh Kumar, Director of Sanjay Gandhi Biological Park. The sterilization process, which can also prove fatal to the animal if not handled properly, is carried out under strict sterile conditions, with the animal given general anaesthesia. After castration, the animal is marked with a yellow tag to avoid its re-castration. The zoo has now 64 deer of which 21 are males and 43 females. Known as Cheetal, India has a burgeoning population of spotted deer. At many of India's zoos, authorities had to sterilize the animal to control its population. A female deer can have up to two calves a year and the young ones are ready to mate in a year and a half, multiplying the population in quick succession.
-May 23,  2007