Chamarajanagar: Drought has played havoc with the animals of the Bandipur national park. Starved of fodder and water, herds of elephants and gaur migrated to Waynad in Kerala and the backwaters of the Kabini to survive the dry weather. But their misery is finally at an end as the recent heavy rains have turned Bandipur’s forests lush green once again with plenty of food and water on offer for the elephants and gaur that are making their way back to them.
Conservator of Forests and park director, Ambady Madhav says the dry days are over for the animals as with the forest receiving heavy rain there is plenty of vegetation for grazing.
Those passing through the park are now able to see deer, elephants and gaur grazing on fresh and nutritious fodder unlike in the past when visitors to Bandipur hardly sighted any animals by the roadside. Even safaris turned out to be a disappointment for some as there was no sighting of elephants or gaur. Several animals too died as a result of the fodder and water scarcity, according to park sources.
To combat the hot , dry weather, park officials had filled the tanks inside the forests with water using solar powered pumps to give drinking water to the animals and stop them from straying into nearby villages. But now nature is doing the job for them. The 13-ranges of Bandipur support a healthy population of 139 tigers and an estimated 1,800 elephants.
