Intense heat claimed the lives of 14 deer in the Kannaud-Khategaon forest zone in the district today.
The locals of Ghodighat, Gandwana and Kakad villages, about 120 km from here, alerted the forest officials in the morning about the dead deer.
Officials found dead bodies of 14 animals in an about four square km area.
Dr Swarnajeet Singh, who carried out autopsies, said cause of death in each case was sun-burn and heat stroke.
Small water pools in the area have dried up. Locals said that as the fields could not be irrigated in the last three days because of power outage, the animals would not have found water even in the open tanks in the fields.
