A resilient deer who made a miraculous escape from poachers is now safe at a wildlife rescue centre near Hua Hin.
A deer who was shot several times by poachers and still managed to escape her attackers, is now safe and recovering at a wildlife rescue centre near Hua Hin.
Park rangers discovered the injured Sambar deer at Kaeng Krachan National Park, which borders the Phetchaburi and Prachuap Khiri Khan provinces and is known as Thailand’s largest national park.
Officials from the Department of National Parks contacted Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand (WFFT) for help with the veterinary care of the deer, owing to the foundation’s renowned wildlife hospital and its proximity to the national park.
After being rushed to the wildlife hospital, WFFT’s veterinary team provided urgent care to the female deer. X-rays of the animal revealed several bullet fragments, which had penetrated the deer’s leg and shattered the bone.
The difficult decision was made to amputate the heavily-injured leg.
Sadly, that means that the deer won’t be able to return to the wild, but she will be able to live the rest of her life in peace and safe from poachers, at WFFT’s Wildlife Rescue Centre.
At the sanctuary, the deer, who was named Sandee, can now roam freely in protected forest areas alongside other rescue animals.
Sambar deer are listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species, with their wild populations in rapid decline. Hunting and poaching have helped to drive the decline, with Sambar deer often shot to be eaten or sold as exotic meat.
To help support WFFT’s wildlife rescue work, visit www.wfft.org/donate.
