It had entered the Arabian Sea after being chased by dogs

In a heart-wrenching incident, a six-year-old sambar (Indian Stag) entered the Arabian Sea and died of shock, despite gritty attempts by local fishermen to rescue it near Karwar in Uttara Kannada district on Monday.

Karwar, surrounded by thick forests, is home to several wild animals, including the sambar. The animal was chased by wild dogs and entered the sea after crossing the national highway in an attempt to save itself, said Karwar range forest officer Manjunath G. Navi. The incident happened around 9 a.m. near Bythkol, abutting NH-66, about 3 km before Karwar town.

It is natural for sambars to enter waterbodies to escape predators, and this animal must have entered the sea without realising the volume of water. As local fishermen saw the animal attempting to swim amidst huge waves, they rushed to save it. Though they pulled the animal into a boat, it was already in shock. Sambars are shy animals and get frightened at the sight of human beings and the crowd must have fuelled its anxiety, Mr. Manjunath said. There were no external injuries on the animal. It was alive when brought ashore and veterinarians were called. However, by the time they arrived, it had died.

Over the years, the population of deer and sambar in the region has increased tremendously and incidents of the animals straying into human habitation have risen, he said.

Recently, the Forest Department had rescued a cub, which had sustained a leg fracture after being hit by a vehicle. The cub was kept under treatment for more than a month and after it was released into the wild, the animal used to return to the watchman’s residence where it was kept, Mr. Manjunath said.

The sambar was alive when brought ashore, but died by the time veterinarians arrived