September 2024 - Week 1 Roundup

Vikram Nanjappa
Sep 6, 2024
1 min read

Leopard

Sighted on: 03.Sept.2024

Our guests had a fantastic sighting of a leopard as it peered at us from the dense undergrowth. The leopard's lovely monsoon coat was beautifully set off by the lush green undergrowth, presenting our guests with a fantastic photo opportunity.

Content Creator / Photographer:

Vishnumaurthy Shanbag

Water Hyacinth

Sighted on: 05.Sept.2024

While on my boat safari, I observed an intriguing phenomenon. Despite water hyacinth being an invasive species with significant negative impacts on the ecosystem, there are a few interesting benefits worth noting. One of the biological controls I witnessed was the majestic Sambar deer feeding extensively on the leaves. As I mentioned in previous blog posts, the heavy rains in Wayanad created small check dams in the jungle and flooded water bodies in villages and towns. This led to the mighty Kabini river sweeping large patches of water hyacinth into its backwaters. Since these plants can spread every 3 to 5 days, they have occupied large areas in the backwaters. This is a problem that will get even worse in the coming years as invasive species dominate over the local species creating an imbalance in the ecosystem as very few herbivores feed on them.