A Paraguayan soldier was attacked and killed by a deer in the gardens of Paraguay's presidential palace. The soldier was identified as Sergeant Victor Isasi.

According to BBC News, the 42-year-old Paraguayan soldier died due to piercing injuries on his chest caused by its antlers. The non-native deer was a gift to the presidential palace near the capital Asuncion.

An infantry spokesman said the chital, a native of the Indian subcontinent, was usually kept in a separate area with other wild animals that were not meant to come into contact with people. Video footage captured the time when the soldier approached the deer before being attacked.

Military spokesman Colonel Victor Urdapilleta said the sergeant entered the wild animals' sector. Isasi then made a movement by lifting his hand, which startled the deer and provoked its reaction.

The spokesman noted that the Paraguayan soldier had been on routine patrol when the deer attacked him in the early hours of Tuesday. He was pronounced dead in a military hospital. Urdapilleta said Isasi's next of kin would be compensated, Channel News Asia reported.

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Deer Inside Paraguay's Presidential Palace Grounds

According to Urdapilleta, the officials responsible for the presidential palace grounds had consulted the environment ministry before putting chitals in the gardens.

Frederic Bauer, director of wildlife at the environment ministry, noted that the chital was part of a litter raised on a government ranch in Paraguay.

Bauer admitted that it was not appropriate to have exotic animals in captivity. However, he said that there is no regulation regarding the matter. The deer was an axis deer from India. Bauer said it was donated, according to The Guardian.

Urdapilleta noted that there was no history of a similar attack by animals kept in the presidential palace grounds. Other wild animals in the 10-hectare gardens of President Mario Abdo Benitez's official residence include ostriches and ponies in previous administrations.

Paraguay

Paraguay is characterized by turbulence and authoritarian rule like any Latin American nation. The country was involved in two of the three major wars in Latin America, such as the War of the Triple Alliance against Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay.

The country also participated in the Chaco War against Bolivia, according to Britannica. It had also gone under a civil war in 19047, with the long dictatorship of Alfredo Stroessner leaving a deep legacy of fear and self-censorship.

Paraguay has also written its history with political turmoil, particularly when Paraguay's ruling party, the Colorado Party, lost in 2008 for the first time since 1947. However, it returned to power in 2013.

The indigenous language is also much more widely spoken in Paraguay as compared to Spanish. Paraguay is a representative and pluralist democracy based on its 1992 constitution.

Its government is also exercised by the separate powers of legislative, executive, and judiciary bodies. The 1992 constitution of Paraguay also created the position of vice president, while the president appoints the council of ministers.

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Written by: Mary Webber

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