Blackbuck left with fractured limb after dog attack

Attacked by dogs in a Chikkaballapur forest two days ago, a blackbuck escaped from the jaws of death by a whisker.

Suffering multiple fractures on its limbs, the five-year-old blackbuck is now under treatment at the Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre (WRRC), Bannerghatta National Park.

The incident occurred in the Chinnatadapi beat of the Sidlaghatta forest range. "The blackbuck had strayed out of the forest and was chased by a pack of dogs. It slipped and fractured its limbs while trying to escape from the ferocious dogs. It also lost a lot of blood," Sri Lakshmi, Regional Forest Officer, Sidlaghatta, told DH.

Villagers and the beat staff of the Forest Department rushed to the blackbuck's rescue and shooed the dogs away. "The animal was rushed to Sidlaghatta for medical treatment. The veterinarians treated it with antibiotics and advised us to keep it under observation for a day," Sri Lakshmi said. As the blackbuck showed signs of recovery, it was shifted to the WRRC, she added.

A forest official said the blackbuck's fractured limb was treated by inserting two rods and putting it on intravenous fluids.