Zookeeper killed in deer attack at Yercaud Zoo

Two employees of the Kurumbapatti Zoological Park in the Yercaud Foothills were attacked by a deer while feeding the animals, resulting in the death of one of the animals.

A. Tamilselvan (24), a resident of Pudhansanthai in Namakkal district, worked as a zookeeper. Murugesan (45), from the same area, worked as a zookeeper and a jeep driver. Both were employed as wage earners.

At around 12:30 pm, when Tamilselvan and Murugesan were feeding the sambar deer in their enclosure, they were attacked by a deer and were seriously injured. Tourists raised an alarm on seeing the attack and other zoo staff rushed to the scene to rescue the duo and rush them to Salem Government Hospital. Tamilselvan succumbed to his injuries before reaching the hospital. Murugesan is currently undergoing treatment and is reportedly in a stable condition.

District Forest Officer (DFO) Kashyap Shashank Ravi, Assistant Collector of Forest (ACF) Selvakumar and Forest Ranger Kamalanathan visited the zoo to inquire about the incident. Kannankurichi police are also investigating.

Forest department officials said a similar incident took place four years ago in which another worker was injured. Tamilselvan had been employed at the zoo for five years while Murugesan has been working there for 15 years. The department is taking steps to pay compensation to Tamilselvan’s family. An official announcement is expected soon.