Elephants wander in search of water, food

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Link: http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1088622

 

Elephants wander in search of water, food

UNI

Tuesday, April 03, 2007 12:10 IST

 

KALPETTA, KERALA: With the summer too hot, and with prevailing drought

and forest fires, clusters of elephants and other wild animals of

Karnataka and Kerala forests are wandering in search for drinking

water and food.

 

The areas under 'Project Elephant' in the Nilgiri biosphere such as

Bandipur and Nagarholla national parks, Muthumala forest division and

Muthanga wildlife sanctuary of Kerala are facing acute scarcity of

drinking water and food for wild animals.

 

Restless elephants in search of water and food could be seen on both

sides of the 212-Kollangal National Highway passing through the

Karnataka forests.

 

'Anagadda,' a drinking water source for pachyderms inside the

Karnataka forests had dried up making things worse for the animals.

 

Frequent eruption of forest fire in these areas had resulted in the

destruction of bushes and trees. Streams inside the Karnataka forests

had also dried up in the absence of rain.

 

There were reports that elephants in search of water and food were

straying into neighbouring villages threatening the life of villagers

and destroying crops.

 

According to official sources, there has been a steady increase in the

number of elephants in Karnataka and Kerala forests in recent times.