The acute scarcity of water due to the recurring drought-like condition prevailing here has affected wild animals in the reserve forests near Mettur and Kolathur on the Tamil Nadu – Karnataka border in a big way.
The wild animals have been straying into the villages abutting the reserve forests in search of drinking water for the last few weeks causing much anxiety to the local residents and the forest and revenue officials alike.
A cross section of villagers have urged the forest officials to take effective steps to check the infiltration of animals into the civilian areas.
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Due to the severe drought condition, the water bodies situated in the forests on the inter-state boundary have become dry. These reserve forests account for wild animals such as elephants, tigers, and spotted deer.
The wild animals consumed water from the water bodies including Sennampatti Maruvupallam, Uthumariamman Temple pallam, Thalamaduvu pallam. Now a majority of the water bodies in the reserve forests have already become dry. There is at present very little water even in the Thalamaduvu pallam, which always used to have adequate storage of water.
The wild animals, of late, have started infiltrating into the nearby villages. The local residents say that a group of elephants visited the Thaarkadu Semmalai lake to take water a few days ago.
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Another major water body Yezharai Mathikadu lake has very little water due to which the farm wells in the nearby villages too are becoming dry.
When the animals such as spotted deer stray into the villages, there were being chased away and attacked by stray dogs. On many occasions, the hapless animals get killed too. Some animals while fleeing away to escape from the stray dogs fell into the dry wells to suffer serious injuries or face instant death.
A cross section of the villagers say that the forest department should take steps for the construction of check dams in good numbers to conserve water, for the benefit of the animals during the summer months.