A shortage of food inside Indian forests is forcing these 3 megaherbivores to eat invasive species & farm crops
What it normally eats:
Different species of grass, tree barks, bamboo, leaves, creepers, palm leaves
Invasive species: Lantana camara, water hyacinth
Farm crops: Plantain trees, banana, coconut, paddy, sugarcane
What it normally eats: Grass (wild sugarcane), Shrubs (fiddlehead fern), rosewood and aquatic plant species
Invasive species: Lantana camara and Mikania micrantha during summer months
Farm crops: Maize, potato, onion, pumpkins, carrot and cabbage
What it normally eats:
Aquatic plants, grass, shrubs, herbs and trees
Invasive species: Mikania micrantha, water hyacinth
Farm crops: Rice, sugarcane, jute
Note: Normal diets are indicative as they change across geographic locations and seasons. Based on interactions with wildlife experts and forest department officials
This was first published in the January 1-16, 2024 print edition of Down To Earth
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