The Sathyamangalam District Forest Officer, K. P. Duraisamy, said that Black Buck is one of the rare deer varieties seen in large numbers at the Sujilkarai forest area within the Bhavanisagar forest range in Sathyamangalam forests. He said that there were about 450 black bucks in the area. The number has started diminishing and to preserve the existing population, a proposal has been sent to the Government to make Sujilkarai a sanctuary.

In the Muthupet forest area in Nagapattinam, 200-odd Black Bucks were spotted and in other forests, one or two were seen.

He said the Black Bucks would stay in the area, as they liked the climate. They drank water from the Lower Bhavani Project reservoir and so the location of the sanctuary will help the species. Mr. Duraisamy said that there was no organised poaching going on in the Sathyamangalam forest area and he said some years back when an affluent person from Erode killed a Sambar, his gun was secured and Rs. 5 lakh was levied as fine. He said the animal population was increasing in the Sathy forest area.

He said there were 873 elephants, 3,000-odd spotted-deers, 500-odd Sambars, two tigers, 25 to 30 panthers, hundreds of wild bores and 500-odd bears in the forest. Hundreds of tubs, ponds and tanks were constructed in the forest to provide drinking water to the animals, he added.