Deer offspring enthrals villagers in Sirsi

SIRSI:  A spotted deer, living in the midst of human habitation near Harnahalli village in Hulekal Forest Range in Sirsi taluk, was cause for celebration on Sunday after it gave birth to a fawn. The two deer returned to the village after spending three days in the nearby forest.The fawn has been fondly named Chukki by the villagers.The mother deer Gouri, as the local people call her affectionately, is pet to the  people of four to five villages in the region of 10 sq km area since 2003 when she started frequenting the houses in these villages. Earlier, the mother deer was rescued from dogs by a villager from Kalave near a paddy field. Ever since the deer has felt secure in the villagers’ presence.No one has held it captive and have allowed it to move freely move in the villages as well as in the forest, informs writer and environmentalist Shivanand Kalave. Slowly, the deer developed a relationship with the people in the villages. The deer would visit the forest regularly for food in the evening and return by early morning, when it was offered food from the villagers.