The Forest Department of Tamil Nadu has confirmed that the death of three spotted deer on the IIT Madras campus last week was not due to anthrax as suspected earlier. A statement by the Principal Chief Conservator of the Forests and the Chief Wildlife Warden of Tamil Nadu on Wednesday said the tissue and blood smear samples sent to the laboratory in Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (Tanuvas) tested negative for anthrax genome.
Last Thursday, IIT Madras reported that three spotted deer died on the campus. As was the case during previous instances of such sporadic death of deer, the Forest Department said its officials examined the carcass and sent the samples to Tanuvas. As the cause of death was initially suspected to be anthrax, a necropsy was avoided and the carcasses were disposed of with adequate precautions. IIT Madras administration issued a circular asking all members of faculty, staff, students and residents to alert the control room about animals in distress. The statement issued on Wednesday said the test report allayed the fear of an anthrax outbreak at the deer habitat in IIT Madras. Pointing out that the IIT Madras had around 400 spotted deer, the statement said instructions had been given to the Wildlife Warden, Chennai, to closely monitor and ensure adequate measures for their protection.