BENGALURU: As forest patches have turned brown because of harsh summer, around 40 per cent of water holes at the Bannerghatta National Park (BNP), driving herbivores to well-irrigated, green farm lands on forest fringes.
This year, local residents around BNP are reporting a rise in cases of gaurs (Indian bisons) raiding their fields, especially where mulberry and vegetables are grown. This is a unique phenomenon, as usually gaurs are shy and avoid human presence when compared to elephants.
“Irrigation pumpsets are running constantly at farms. These green fields outside forests are attracting herbivores, especially gaurs. Such cases started a month-and-a-half ago, but now there has been a rise. No complaints of spotted or sambar deer raiding crops have been reported,” a BNP official said.
Though Forest, Environment and Ecology Minister Eshwar Khandre has directed forest staffers across Karnataka to fill all waterholes within forests and if needed to drill borewells or tubewells, little has been done so far. The remaining 60 per cent of water holes in BNP have medium or low levels of water. “Animals are more intelligent than humans in searching for water. Cases of elephants raiding farms have come down as they have migrated to places where there are sufficient sources of water. But gaurs and other herbivores that do not migrate long distances are wandering about and entering human habitations,” the official added.