Sriram has brought along his charming wife and his son .

As we ease into our seats in the rugged and spacious Tata Sumo, Sriram slides the Sumo into gear and we are off.

The Banerghatta National Park spread over 25,000 acres or approximately 104 square kilometers is the only National Park in the world other than Kenya at such close vicinity to the capital city of a state. It lies just 20 kms off the heart of India’s garden city, Bangalore. While in the city concerned individuals and organizations are fighting tooth and tail for the city’s stray dogs, in the deciduous forests of Banerghatta, elephants are running for cover.

The city slips away beneath the sumos’ tyres and in minutes the staid glass and mortar facades of buildings give way to foliage, and as the seemingly fresher air swishes in and out of the open windows, Manjunath gives us the rundown on the elephants.

"Right now there are about 40 elephants resident in Banerghatta while over 200 are in their last stages of migration. It is only after the last of the migrants leave that we can take an accurate count of the resident elephants’, he says. The last census was taken in 1967 wasn’t it Sriram?", he asks and Sriram nods in agreement as he takes the final curve under a green arch, emblazoned in kannada with the letters "Banerghatta National Park" and brings the Sumo to rest before the high grilled green gates of the park.

As we step past the gates into the park, we are momentarily stuck by the presence of elephants in the enclosure. These are the domesticated ones. There are five of them. Two males, two females and a calf. The holidays crowds are milling around begging the mahouts to let them touch the trunks of the animals...

The mahout grunts. The elephant obliges and the children run off squealing with delight. We also follow suit.

"She’s the Grandmother", says Manjunath, "and the little fella, who’s two years old is more attached to her than his own mother".

Now, where have I heard that before. We are then introduced to Nagesh. The wiry, cool ranger of the park. The new breed of foresters who seem to know and love their job. He’s just back after the early morning round-up drive of migrant elephants."There were more than 50 of them", he tells us " but they are in scattered formation in 3 separate herds".

As Nagesh and Manjunath work out the last minute modalities Sriram enlightens us on the Asian Elephant Research & Conservation Centre and its work. Of the 26 elephant corridors we are associated with, The corridor that lies within this area has narrowed due to habitation. Since the Govt has a fund constraint, we propose to bankroll the money to buy back the land from them and hand it back to the forest dept, to widen the corridor for movement. It is here that Manjunath is of immense importance to the project, due to his contact with the locals and the villagers. We nod in agreement as he and Nagesh, accompanied by a guard walk over to the Sumo. It’s a tighter squeeze in the Sumo this time. Mrs. Sriram joins her son at the back as Nagesh and Manjunath occupy the front seats.
   

We are off. As the Sumo hugs the bumpy road, in dips and bumps, Sriram slows down occasionally to allow partridges to cross and take off in flight with the fanned white tips of their tail feathers spread out like Red Indian headgear.

The foliage is thicker and tighter now, though it is low bush and thorn, with few tall trees. The right side falls off into small valleys and climbs up again. "Elephants love this terrain. Its mixed foliage. They love the variety. Perfect bird country too, says Sriram.

Yes, answers Manjunath. "This is still teenage foliage. Grown out of the indiscriminate felling by the British of the Bangalore Cantonment during the Second world war for Charcoal and for Railway sleepers. Give it another 25 years and it will be in full bloom".

Banerghatta National Park is part of the Nilgiris and Eastern Ghats Elephant reserve, the largest in the country and home to over 2500 of India’s total population of around 22,000 Asian elephants. One of the migratory corridors for elephant movement passes through he Park. Illegal granite quarrying, livestock grazing, illegal squatters have forced the elephants to attack crops and therefore confront man.