Minneriya tank bed dry season grass flushing: nutrient spikes and elephant herd aggregation?

The phenomenal elephant gathering at Minneriya National Park (July to October) is driven by aquatic botany and receding reservoir hydrodynamics. As the ancient Minneriya tank water level recedes during the dry season, it exposes over 2,000 hectares of nutrient-rich lacustrine silt. Within days, tender, highly nutritious short grasses (such as Cynodon dactylon and Echinochloa colonum) sprout rapidly across the damp lakebed. These young shoots contain up to 25% crude protein, attracting hundreds of Asian elephants from surrounding dry-zone forests to feed continuously.