Dog scare? Poisoning? 27 deer dead in Solapur zoo

Veterinary surgeon Dr V.M. Birajdar, who performed the post-mortem, told Express that 11 deer had injuries on their abdomen, hind region and nose. ‘‘This proves they were attacked. The others died probably of shock as there were no wounds found on them. These are preliminary findings. The detailed report will be available only after 15 days from the Disease Investigation Office in Pune,’’ he said.

Just a few months ago, the zoo authorities had begun building a compound wall to protect the animals from stray dogs. The wall is short of a gate on one side, through which the dogs may have entered.

Three watchmen — Malinath Patil, Shahji Kadam and Datta Danger — were on duty that night. ‘‘Around 2 pm, we sat near the cage. Between 3 pm and 4 pm, we heard noises from the deer cage and saw five dogs attacking the animals. Kadam jumped into the cage with a stick and hit one of the dogs on its head. But the damage had been done,’’ said Patil.

The cage is not well lit. The main search light near the cage has not been functioning for months, he added.

Corporator Sange Paag alleges that the deer were poisoned. ‘‘Some days ago, a few people tried to steal scrap from the zoo and were caught. This is their way of getting back,’’ he said. Mhetras has denied the allegation.

Mayor Vithal Jadhav said the miscreants had stolen some deer and left the zoo gate ajar, though which the stray dogs entered.

Jadhav said the veterinarian, superintendent and the watchmen will be suspended and a criminal case filed against them. ‘‘If the Municipal Commissioner fails to take action, I will file a case,’’ Jadhav said.

Animal lovers Bharat Chheda, Abhjit Kulkarni, S. Chavan and Yuvraj Babar also feel the deer had been poisoned. ‘‘The injuries are not dogbites. The crows have bitten off the flesh after the deer died,’’ said Chheda.

The zoo has lost many tigers, lions and crocodiles in the past.