Bengaluru: Birds can't bear the heat here!

Hubballi: With the mercury level soaring to 40 degree Celsius in North Karnataka region,  wild animals and several species of birds in Kappatta Hills in Gadag district are bearing the brunt of a severe drinking water shortage.

The blackbucks are also moving out of the sanctuary in Haveri district and easily falling prey to poachers. Several lakes and rivulets in the hills have dried up forcing the animals to enter villages for drinking water.

The lack of drinking water has made wild animals suffer and eventually die of thirst. Meanwhile, the villagers are living in the fear of sudden animal attacks.

The blackbuck sanctuary, spread over 30,000 acres of forestland in Haveri district, is home to 6,700 blackbucks. Kappatta Hills in Shirahatti and Mundaragi taluks has also been an abode for several peacocks and other endangered species.

The locals claim that there were more than 40 small lakes and streams in the vicinity of the picturesque hills. But, rampant mining activity and continuous drought in the district has reduced the ground water level over the years.Due to this, environmentalists are demanding measures to ensure water supply to the animals and birds.

"Water resources have dwindled in Kappatta Hills due to severe drought in Gadag last year. Therefore, the forest department should construct water ponds to save the lives of animals and prevent them from straying into agricultural land. We will start a special drive to fill the ponds in the hills by taking water to them in tankers", environmentalist Prof. C.S. Arasanal said.

Several incidents of man-animal conflict have been reported in the last few days due to lack of food and water supply to the animals in Kappatta Hills. Forest officials claim that jackals have attacked several persons and a leopard has killed 12 sheep in Hirevaddatti village.

Forest officials have paid lakhes of rupees as compensation to the villagers and farmers who have lost their crop after blackbucks destroyed them. Kappatta Hills range forest officer Mahantesh Nyamati said lack of adequate funds has hampered the work to construct cement ponds at various places for the wild animals.

"We have constructed several percolation trenches and water ponds for soil and moisture conservation in the hills. But, these ponds have totally dried up due to failure of the monsoon last year. High temperatures will lead to evaporation of drinking water if arrangements are not made to fill these ponds", he said.