Tigers & leopards at SGNP stay cool with sprinklers & coolers

Even wild animals do feel the heat amid rising temperatures in the summer. At Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP), Borivli, arrangements have been made this season too to help mitigate discomfort to the wild animals.
From the end of February, or early March at the most, when the heat starts rising, authorities at the national park bring out cooling gadgets for the wild animals to help them combat the heat. Water sprinklers, coolers and pedestal fans have been placed in cages while ponds have been created in the open safaris.
To monitor temperature, digital thermometers have been installed in the cages, said an official at SGNP. The watchman keeps an eye on the thermometers, and updates the authorities when the temperature shoots beyond a certain point. “So, tigers walk into the water sprinkler area to cool off, or they park themselves in front of the giant-sized pedestal fans,” the official said.
At the leopard rescue centre, coolers are switched on during the nights when it’s sweltering hot. Typically, leopards in captivity at the rescue centre are let out of their cages around 6 am and they remain outside until 9 am, during which time the cages are cleaned. Once the sun is up, the leopards enter their cages and lounge in front of the whirring pedestal fans or in front of the buzzing coolers, according to the official.
Out in the open, the artificial ponds provide relief to the wild animals -- wild boars, the other leopards roaming in the open safari area, sambars, wild cats, jungle rabbits and rusty spotted cats. Water tankers replenish the tanks periodically.
As for the season’s diet, there is not much of a change for the wild animals. “There’s little choice on the nutrition front,” the source pointed out. The wild animals are usually fed beef brought in from the Deonar abattoir. But once a week or so, they are plied with chicken, the source said, adding: “Chicken is just for a change… as a treat.”