With the dry season in full effect, officials at the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve have adopted a few measures to ensure that visitors who take a jungle safari get to spot animals.
And the efforts seem to have had some effect with forest department officials confirming that tiger sightings have been reported by tourists with increasing frequency since the end of December and the beginning of January.
Artificial salt licks have been placed at a few places near water bodies inside the reserve, drawing a variety of herbivores and carnivores alike. While the prime reason for placing salt licks is to help animals fight infections and diseases, these spots attract many animals, leading to more animal sightings for tourists.
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Lantana, an invasive species of plant, that had grown on both sides of the routes through which tourists are shown through the reserve on forest vehicles, has been cleared for a distance of 30 meters on each side, said E. A. Saravanan, Deputy Director of the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve. Thus far, MTR officials have cleared the plant grown on around 40 hectares. It is hoped that with the area being cleared, tourists can get clearer sightings of the animals that populate the reserve.