Karnataka's Bandipura National Park is dry as a bone with summer still to come

Ravaged by drought, the Bandipura National Park presents a dreary picture long before summer is due. (Udayashankar S | EPS

An elephant and a spotted deer search for grass in the Bandipur National Forest. With summer a month away, the underbrush in the forest is cinder dry. (Udayashankar S | EPS)

A mongoose returns forlorn from a parched pond in the Bandipur National Forest. Already in the grip of drought ahead of the summer months, wildlife in the forest have dog days ahead. (Udayashankar S | EPS)

A peacock runs along a foot trail in the Bandipur National Forest. With the next rain months away, wildlife in the forest have a cruel summer to survive. (Udayashankar S | EPS)

Watering holes in the Bandipura National Forest have shrunk to mere puddles. The summer months are going to be hard for wildlife, such as this spotted deer, to survive this year. (Udayashankar S | EPS)

An elephant makes a charge up in the bone-dry Bandipur National Park. With the summer still a month away, the protected sanctuary is cinder dry. (Udayashankar S | EPS)