For The First Time In Three Years, An Indian Bison Was Spotted In Bannerghatta National Park, Even Elephants Are Back!

Environmentalists and activists campaigning to save the Bannerghatta National Park (BNP) near Bengaluru are elated after an adult Indian Bison was spotted in the protected area, the first such sighting in nearly three years.

According to activists, it is not less than a moment of celebration for them because the Bison was seen in the national park less than six months after the mining in the area was stopped.

Rohan Bhardwaj

The years of mining in quarries around BNP and the hundreds of trucks passing through the area had driven almost all wild animals away from the region.

"This bison was spotted by a photographer called Rohan who clicked the picture and sent it to me. This happened a couple of days ago. Since then I also went to the area and to my surprise I saw a bison with its calf. This is definity a good sign. This mean that the animals are coming back," Vishnu an activists and photographer told Indiatimes.

Some 15 mines which were located in the Ecologically Sensitive Zone (ESZ) of BNP have been shut since September.

"For me this is such a wonderful news. This gives an all new meaning to our fight. We have spotted all kinds of animals now. In just 3-4 months since the mining activities have stopped, they have all come back. After the queries stopped working the movement of vehicles, which used to be in their hundreds have come down. The vehicles used to scare the animals away. Now the quarries have fallen silent so the animals have started migrating back," Vijay Nishanth, a Bengaluru-based urban conservationist who has been on the forefront of the movement to save Bannerghatta said, reacting to the spotting of the bison in the national park.

He also added that it is not just bisons that have returned to their original habitat. According to Nishanth currently there is a herd of around 80 elephants in Bannerghatta.

"We saw the elephant herd recently near a waterbody. They have been there for days. We saw them playing in the water for hours. It was such a wonderful sight. We haven't seen something like this in two years inside Bannerghatta. It is obvious that the animals are back," Nishanth explained.

The return of elephants to Bannerghatta is significant as the national park falls between the Mysore Elephant Reserve and Thali Reserve Forest in neighbouring Tamil Nadu and acts as a corridor for large elephant populations migration.

Nishanth however added that activists are wary about the recent proposal by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to reduce the ESZ around BNP by 100 sq km.

If the proposal gets approved the ESZ will be reduced to just 169 sq km from the current 269 sq km and reduce the extent of the ESZ from a maximum of 4.5 km to a maximum of 1 km.

This, Nishanth said, will allow the mining companies to return to Bannerghatta and undo all the progress they have made in preserving the protected area.

The draft notification issued by the ministry has been open for public feedback till the 31st of this month.

Two separate online campaigns launched by United Bengaluru and Jhatkaa are trying to rally support to save Bannerghatta.

United Bengaluru, a citizens collective which has been one of the most vocal campaigners to save Bannerghatta, in a statement said that the new notification reduces the area of ESZ around BNP by 100 sq km from 268.96 sq km to 169.84 sq km. It also reduces the extent of the ESZ from a maximum of 4.5 km to a maximum of 1 km. This arbitrary action not only threatens the fragile ecosystem and biodiversity of BNP but also defeats the stated purpose of establishing an ESZ to buffer impacts on the National Park.

Additionally, BNP also serves as a watershed for streams/rivers like Antargange, Suvarnamukhi, Rayathmala, Muthyalamaduvu, Hebbalalahalla, Bantanahalla, Aanemaduvinhalla, Shankatanahalli etc, most of which empty into the economically and culturally significant Cauvery river.