The Eravikulam National Park in Kerala will shut down for two months because of the early onset of the breeding season of the endangered Nilgiri tahr (Nilgiritragus hylocrius), for which the sanctuary is famous.
The breeding season is usually from February to April end. However, this year some Nilgiri tahr have started breeding early, necessitating the early closure of the park. This year two newborns were spotted as early as the first week of January. So far six newborns have been noticed across the park.
Spread over 97 sq-km area in the Western Ghats in Idukki district, Eravikulam was the first national park in Kerala. Meanwhile, close to 12 days of frost has damaged the meadows in the park. Forest officials are worried that this could trigger forest fires and affect the food supply for the tahr. Usually, the frost lasts just a couple of days. In some parts of Munnar, the temperatures dropped as low as -4 degrees Celsius.
