Utilisation of the waterholes by wild animals in Wayanad wildlife sanctuary

Abstract

Utilisation of natural and artificial waterholes in Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (WWS) was analysed in this research work. Vayals are the natural swampy areas while the waterholes are the artificial ponds made by the forest department. The study was done with two objectives such as mapping ofthe vayals and the artificial waterholes in the WWS and the usage of these structures by wild animals. We used GIS tools for mapping ofthe vayals as well as artificial waterholes in WWS. The animal visitation was studied using the camera traps installed in the selected vayals and artificial waterholes across the four ranges of WWS from September 2018 to May 2019. The observations were made in dry season and wet season. The geo-coordinated maps of 171 vayals and 168 artificial waterholes in Wayanad WWS were prepared. It is interesting to note that most of the artificial waterholes were made within the vayals. A total of 21 species of wild animals were found to be using the water sources in WWS. The animal visits to vayals/natural waterholes were greater than that of the artificial waterholes. However, the animal activity in these water sources in the dry season was greater than that of wet season. The herbivores preferred vayals more than waterholes, but the frequency of visit of other animals such as carnivores, primates, etc. were found to be more in waterholes. The most abundant animal in Wayanad wildlife Sanctuary was Spotted Deer and its frequency of visit was higher in vayals than artificial waterholes. The frequency of animal visit at waterholes made inside the vayal is found to be higher than that of waterholes dug outside the vayal. The temporal activity pattern of water source usage was also studied. Most ofthe vayals and waterholes were used mainly during morning and evening hours. The direct usage of artificial waterholes for drinking water was rarely observed. Most of the visits made by herbivores to the waterholes were for grazing around the waterbody. The randomness of usage of water sources were also studied using Run test. Asian Elephant, Barking Deer,Gaur, and Wild Boar show a non-random usage of natural waterholes in the wet season.

In artificial waterholes, elephant shows a non-random usage in wet season and the Spotted Deer and Sambar Deer shows non-random usage in dry season. The design of waterhole is also found to be affecting the animal activity. The side walls of many waterholes were made steep in such a way that it cannot be accessible by small animals like Spotted Deer, Barking Deer, etc. The quality of water is another factor that influences the usage. Many waterholes were not capable of holding water in the extreme dry months. The vayals kept moist throughout the year and supported the animals with good fodder in the lean periods. Constructing waterholes inside the vayals causes degradation of the swampy habitat and lead to drying up of vayals. It also affects the hydrology of that landscape. So,the present study highlights the importance of vayals and its management in protecting that habitat. The construction of artificial waterholes should be done with proper scientific studies.