Ropar, Sept 24: A fully grown male sambar was killed by poachers in Donal village near Nangal, bringing renewed attention to the ongoing threats faced by wild animals across the forest stretches of Ropar district.
The gruesome discovery took place when Roshan Lal, a local farmer, spotted the animal’s carcass lying in his fields and immediately alerted officials from the wildlife department. Team members arrived at the site, secured the remains, and initiated a detailed inquiry into the matter.
Upon reaching the scene, investigating officers observed that the head of the sambar had been severed and abandoned in the field, while the rest of the body had been removed from the site.
Local wildlife enthusiasts Prabhat Bhatti and Paramjit Singh Bhatti asserted that the current resource allocation makes it challenging to maintain constant surveillance over vulnerable forest zones. They affirmed that enhanced administrative focus and modern equipment could significantly strengthen ongoing efforts to protect native fauna.
This event marks the latest in a series of unfortunate incidents involving sambar deer in the region. Previously, a female sambar lost its life after consuming explosive material hidden inside bait in a local forest patch. In a separate occurrence, another deer succumbed to severe injuries after running into the office space of a Nangal petrol station while fleeing from unidentified pursuers. Furthermore, security personnel from the Central Industrial Security Force, stationed at the National Fertilizers Limited complex, had recently reported seeing suspicious individuals moving through nearby forested terrain.
Departmental sources declared that field units face logistical constraints while monitoring extensive stretches from Chamkaur Sahib to Nangal. Currently, patrolling officers share a single vehicle for both routine monitoring and animal rescue operations across the entire district.
Officials maintained that requests for additional operational vehicles and staff reinforcement have been submitted to government authorities to help improve coverage across key ecological zones.
Ropar remains a key ecological region in Punjab, sharing its Shivalik hill landscape with Gurdaspur and Hoshiarpur. Authorities declared that inter-departmental coordination between territorial and wildlife units continues to be refined to bolster regular surveillance across these shared habitats.
