Deer on IIT-Madras campus did not die of anthrax: Report

Chennai, March 24

Blood samples of the three deer that died at IIT-Madras campus did not have traces of anthrax disease, Tamil Nadu Principal Chief conservator of forests and Chief Wildlife Warden said.

In a statement on Wednesday, Chief Wildlife Warden said that the blood smear samples sent to the laboratory in Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (Tanvus) tested negative for anthrax genome.

Last Thursday, IIT-Madras had reported that three spotted deer were found dead on its campus and the forest department sent the samples to Tanvus.

It had issued a circular to all the members of the faculty, staff, students and residents to alert the control room about the animals in distress.

The institute also said that its campus has around 400 spotted deer and a statement from the institute said that it has appealed to the Chief Wildlife Warden to monitor closely the deer population and to ensure adequate measures for their protection.

The test report from Tansus allayed the fear of an anthrax outbreak.