Elephants and Leeches in Periyar Tiger Reserve

Elephants in the Reserve

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We woke up early to do a Jeep tour in Periyar Tiger Reserve. Our driver got a call that there were elephants nearby. We drove over and saw a few elephants. The elephants had to cross the road to get water so they were waiting for us to leave. We moved on, and our guide told us about natural remedies and what plants can be used for. Even Sapna, other tour guides and shopkeepers could identify plants and tell you how to use them at home.

We ate breakfast at the reserve then put on “leech socks.” The leech socks went over our pants and into our shoes. They tied underneath our knees. We started walking in the reserve and there were tons of leeches! They were on leaves and would stick straight up trying to attach to something. We also sprinkled salt on the leeches to get them off the socks. We had to put salt in our shoes to get all the leeches off. We were so tired, we were nodding off on the drive back to the hotel.

Taking a rest, notice the leech socks?

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