A deer that holds human food dear

Ramachandra Rao & Prasad Bhosekar
Ever heard of a deer with an appetite for human delicacies including fried rice, rotis and cooked vegetables? That is exactly what’s pulling in crowds of visitors to Visakhapatnam’s Kambalakonda Nature Park where a lovely spotted deer relishes food that no deer is known to crave for. To top it all, it also appears to be camera-friendly with no qualms about posing for the visitors who click away. This enigmatic spotted deer even has a name, Seetha. It was a fawn when it was found by the Andhra Pradesh forest authorities in the forests of Srikakulam district. It was taken to Visakhapatnam’s Kambalakonda Nature Park in the outskirts of the city where it has lived since then.

From the very beginning it became the center of attraction for the visitors and is responsible for pulling in the crowds to the park. Far from being afraid of human beings, Seetha has developed a taste for food like fried rice and well cooked vegetables. As a result the park restaurant business is flourishing. Seetha has no qualms about moving about with the visitors.

Shankar, the restaurant owner relates that ever since Seetha was brought to the park, she developed a fancy for culinary preparations. They began feeding her with the restaurant food which she seemed to enjoy. Since then the restaurant has been enjoying good business.

Among other peculiarities, soft drinks don’t seem to agree with Seetha. However when it comes to taking photographs, she is quite happy to pose with whoever wants to be photographed with her.