Following the death of five blackbuck fawns at the IIT Madras campus on October 2, wildlife enthusiasts suspect stray dogs were behind the attack, according to The Times of India.
Wildlife authorities claim that it is possible the fawns could have been hunted down by jackals also but since dogs were seen feeding on one of the blackbuck carcasses, they were the most likely predator.
The carcasses of the dead fawns have been sent for post-mortem to the Madras Veterinary College.
A volunteer of Prakrithi, the IIT Madras wildlife club, told The Times of India that the stray dogs used to leave the carcass behind earlier but now they are stripping the carcass to the bone. She suspects they might have developed a taste for the meat.
Wildlife authorities want more dogs to be shifted out from the campus. However, only a few dogs have been relocated and animal right activists said the dogs will be sterilized in the next three months.
A wildlife officer told TOI that the corporation is also visiting the campus and taking canines for birth control and for anti-rabies vaccines. But some of the dogs live in the wilderness and it is difficult to trace them and they might have carried out the attacks on blackbucks.