Hyderabad: The discovery of the carcasses of 25 blackbucks near an illegal maize farm in Telangana's Mahabubnagar has led to suspicions they may have ingested toxic pesticide pellets while grazing.
“The area has very good grasslands which serve as the ideal blackbuck habitat. The maize crop was being grown illegally on government land,” divisional forest officer Chukka Ganga Reddy said.
The blackbuck was the state animal of united Andhra Pradesh, but was replaced by the chital in Telangana following the bifurcation. Thought the exact cause of death is yet unknow, the authorities, worried that more blackbucks in the area may get drawn to the maize crop and accidentally consume the pesticide pellets, have decided to destroy the crop.
“We hope this will prevent other blackbucks from coming here,” Reddy said. He added that the stomach content retrieved from the carcasses has been sent for analysis to determine the actual cause of death.
Rajasthan cattle deaths
Meanwhile, the death of 200 heads of cattle at a government shelter has rattled the Vasundhara Raje administration in Rajasthan. The deaths at Hingonia cow shelter have elicited strong criticism from opposition Congress, besides the Hindu right-wing outfit VHP, over the “poor” condition of cow shelters in the state. Congress has alleged that the deaths were a result of the “mismanagement and lack of facilities,” while VHP claimed more than 500 cows died due to the “inhuman behaviour” of Raje government towards them. Rajasthan government swung into action with its minister Rajpal Singh Shekhawat inspecting the Hingonia cow centre.
