The interviews and reporting for this story were conducted in 2021.

In Tamil Nadu’s Pudupalayam village, a 50-acre farm has something unique to offer — if you visit, you might be greeted by a flock of deer, alongside the usual goats and cows.

For the past 20 years, the deer have made this farm their home and have peacefully coexisted with domesticated animals.

Given that apart from some peacocks for company, there is no other wildlife or even a forest nearby, how did this happen?

This is, in part, due to the efforts of R Gurusamy, who gave up his farmland to create a safe habitat and protect wildlife.

Speaking with The Better India, Gurusamy recalls his first encounter with the deer and how he helped increase the population from just three to hundreds.

An act of compassion

“One day in 1998, I saw three spotted deer grazing on grass, alongside my goats. I was amused by the sight, as the deer followed the cattle to feed on grass. To my surprise, they never really left, and instead became a frequent visitor,” he says.

Gurusamy believes that the deer ventured into his territory from the neighbouring Mettupalayam Forest of Western Ghats for water and food. “The region has been experiencing drought conditions and shortage of rainfall for the past 25 years. River Khousikha used to have water for most of the year, but now runs dry. The groundwater table has also decreased owing to overexploitation of the water for irrigation. The deer must have faced the brunt of this,” he explains.

The 70-year-old says, “I have 60 acres of ancestral land, and during those days, practised organic farming over 15 acres of land growing corn, cotton and seasonal........

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