A two-year-old male spotted deer was rescued by residents near Vaniyambadi town in Tirupattur near Palar River on Friday.

Officials of the Forest Department said around 11 a.m, R. Siva, a farmer in Thikuvapalayamu village, noticed the spotted deer near his house and immediately alerted Vaniyambadi Town police and forest officials.

A team of forest officials, including a veterinarian, reached the spot and trapped the animal. Water was provided to the dehydrated spotted deer as the district had been experiencing searing heat for the past few days with temperatures between 30 and 35 degrees Celsius.

Later, the rescued deer was brought to the range office and kept under observation. The deer did not have any injuries despite being chased by stray dogs in the village before the animal was rescued by the farmer.

Forest officials said that the village is located on the fringes of reserve forests (RFs) along Palar River. The area is a habitat for spotted deer as hundreds of them have been spotted by the forest team during routine patrolling. Residents, who are mostly farmers and wage labourers, were sensitised by forest officials to save wild species from stray dogs and poaching and advised them to alert forest officials.