Madras Christian College plans to restore wildlife corridors inside campus to protect spotted deer

Madras Christian College is working to restore wildlife corridors across its 320-acre campus in Chennai to protect spotted deer from venturing into academic areas. The administration acted through its Wildlife Conservation Club, geography department, and botany department to help the animals. The campus is home to more than 100 spotted deer, along with porcupines, civets, bats, snakes, and birds. Professors stated that students frequently feed the deer, which creates health risks. The initiative matters because human-provided food and habitat fragmentation increase the deer’s dependence on humans and lead to risky encounters in canteens and academic zones. Paul Wilson, principal of the college and president of the Wildlife Conservation Club, explained, “Restoring these corridors is aimed at reducing the deer’s dependence on food provided by humans and its encounters with people.” The project will use Geographic Information Systems, GPS surveys, satellite imagery, and camera traps to map vegetation, identify habitat gaps, and trace movement paths. S Saranya, vice-president of the Wildlife Conservation Club, stated that native plants will be grown as a three-layer biofence to guide the deer along safer routes without confining them. Following the pilot study, the college plans to approach alumni and companies for funds.