The current heatwave sweeping the state is making life difficult for everyone, including animals. Bengaluru-based People for Animals (PFA) has re-launched Operation Quench Thirst to provide relief to wildlife.
“We had run a similar initiative in 2019 called Operation Quench Thirst-1 when water in the Thurahalli forest areas had dried up. We would take around four tankers there and replenish watering holes in the area,” says Col Dr Nawaz Shariff, GM and Chief Veterinarian at the PFA Wildlife Hospital
“At that time, the spotted deer were leaving the forest in search of food and water; by doing so, they were in danger of being attacked by feral dogs or speeding vehicles. Since then, we have been in touch with the forest department to aid them if the situation arose. In the second week of March, they alerted us about the dip in in water levels and after our inspection we decided to pitch in with Operation Quench Thirst-2,” he says.
The team had earlier placed receptacles for water in the forest, utilising cement rings used in wells, which were cemented at the bottom. This year, they added 10 more of these tubs to the existing eight in the forest, says Nawaz.
Since vehicles are not allowed in Thurahalli, the PFA team armed with written permission from the Forest Department, make trips to replenish water points there.
“Depending on the depletion of water inside we need anywhere between two and four tankers per trip,” says Nawaz, adding that after filling up the tubs, trenches and watering holes, they empty the tankers into the lake.
Understandably, the scarcity of water that is plaguing wildlife has also resulted in a paucity of food as well. “Vegetation has dried up, and again, out of hunger, the animals are venturing out of the forest in search for food. We have an understanding with Big Basket — they give us their surplus vegetables and fruits which we chop into smaller portions and spread around the watering holes.”
PFA is also in talks to source grass and other fodder they can place in Thurahalli. “We plan to keep this going till the rains start and after that, for a little while longer, till new shoots spring up in the forest. Since we are a charitable organisation and resources are scarce, we have asked well wishers to come forward with contributions in this season of drought.”
Nawaz says according to the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru has only 7% of its green cover left. “People need to save ‘their’ wildlife or there will be none left in the future if they are not conserved now.”
Thurahalli forest is home to spotted deer and wild boar as well as rare jungle birds such as the flameback woodpecker, eagle owl, blue rock thrush and sirkeer cuckoo among other species of birds, animals and reptiles.
