Life in a coffee plantation keeps surprising me. Even though the coffee plantation has been modified extensively, it is always a joy to see wild animals still moving around. Walking around the fields for a few days I observed a peculiar marking on the ground with the surface disturbed and a half destroyed Robusta plant. After observing a few territory marking in the plantation, I found out it is the Indian Bison (considered as a pest damaging the plants). I decided to setup a camera trap to observe them in action and also to see if the Bison detects any additional scent or marking made by me to its existing territory marking.
I marked my territory (spraying some solution) over the Indian Bison’s marked territory and setup a camera trap to observe its behavior. The very same night, the bison visited the same location (I must have gotten lucky), and I was shocked to see the bison sniff the same place where I sprayed the solution and it marked its territory again by rubbing its huge head on the mud and then rubbing its head on the Robusta plant. What made the bison to sniff and mark its territory again? Was it the scent or was it just a nice spot to rub his head in the mud and get rid of the ticks? Please watch the video below to see the Bison in action!
The coffee plantation has modified the existing ecosystem extensively over the years. But still few animals have managed to stand their ground and claim their territory. We often forget and take for granted those who cannot speak, but still they fight for their land. Happiness is in seeing these beautiful animals trying to move around in their modified ecosystem.
