Drowning of a barking deer: A case

One female barking deer aged about three years old drowned in a concrete tank full of water with floating azola. The deer probably came out from the nearby Amsang reserve forest. The carcass was submerged with floated left flank and its head and limbs were under water. Necropsy revealed sloughing and bruising in the thoracic region and inner aspect of forelimbs. The visceral organs viz. liver, kidneys and spleen were highly congested. There was severe endocardial hemorrhage. The rumen contained greenish liquid ingesta. Uterus contained a dead foetus. The significant pathomorphological lesions of the lungs revealed ballooning, pale, spongy, edematous and emphysematous appearance. Noticeable histopathological lesions observed were thinning and rupture of alveolar walls that conglomerate to giant alveoli. These lesions were suggestive of death due to drowning and asphyxia.