This is a strange phenomenon that I observed during a safari in Bandhavgarh. A stag was eating (or chewing) an antler. A behavior that is not expected from a herbivorous animal like spotted deer.
Some reasons that can be thought and my response
Was it hungry? Does not look like as monsoon was just over and grass was plentiful.
For salt? May be, but not sure.
The deer might just be playing? I watched for nearly five minutes and its action didn’t look so.
It might be a piece of wood. I clearly watched and it was not so.
Our guide and the driver said that they were seeing such a thing for the first time. Bit surprised as they would have spent most of their life in jungles. They had seen a tiger eating grass but not a deer eating the antler.
I am no expert in these matters. Can anyone throw some light on the strange case of this spotted deer?
Labels: Experience, Madhya Pradesh, Query, travel, Wildlife