Udhagamandalam:
With dry weather prevailing in forest areas in Nilgiris district, particularly Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR), wildlife like elephants and birds have started migrating to nearby places, even as authorities are making water available to the animals through tanker lorries.
As the Mayar river, one of the major sources of water for the wildlife, almost drying up, animals started moving to nearby Bandipur and Muthanga forests in Karnataka and Kerala respectively for the last couple of days, forest department sources said.
To prevent such migration, MTR administration has taken steps to fill the ponds and water sources, where the animals and birds frequented usually, through water tankers.
The situation would become worse in another fortnight, as the area received very less rainfall during the monsoon and and resultant dry weather, they said.
Depending on the situation, more tanker lorries would be requisitioned to supply adequate clean water to the animals, so that its migration to other states and nearby habitats could be prevented avoiding human-animal conflict, the sources said.