With the rising temperature everywhere in Vidarbha from 40 degrees Celsius to over 44 degrees Celsius, not only men but also wild animals in jungle are feeling pinch of the scorching summer heat.
Men can take various measures to save from heat but wild animals have a limited scope. They have to take rest either at cool/shadow places or water bodies. As the wild animals have to quench thirst in this pinch period they move on towards water sources like rivers, tanks, ponds, nullahs, waterholes, streams, perennial water spots etc. Water is a life-giving force and hence tigers, leopards, sloth-bears, deer, sambars, biasons, blue blues, wild dogs and others have to search for water for quenching thirst and beating the heat. Some herbivores also pass time in wallowing to feel cool.
Forest Department has making necessary arrangements for providing water to wildlife in different forests in Vidarbha such as creating waterholes fitted with solar power pumps. Despite this, it is observed that wild animals stray towards villages in search of water during summer, which puts a question mark on sufficient availability of water inside jungle.
Now, this is peak season for eco-tourism as many wildlife lovers and youngsters enjoy jungle safari in different tiger reserves, national parks or wildlife sanctuaries. The frequency of tiger sighting is more at water bodies during morning and evening hours and hence there is a crowd of visitors.
One wildlife enthusiast Harsh Soni was lucky during his jungle safari in Pench Tiger Reserve, Maharashtra partr, when he clicked two sub-adult tigers at a lake in Sillari area recently. The tigers are beating summer heat by passing time at a forest lake.
