Confirming the wall collapse, P N Munde, director, SGNP, who has been patrolling the park to assess the damage, says, "About 20 metres of high walls have collapsed. We will have to get it repaired as panthers now can get easy access to the residential areas."

A sense of danger now looms large over this popular recreation spot. The fear of being attacked by panthers has always been there; after the rains, poisonous snakes were seen near the main gate -- they had been washed there from the park's inner jungle area.

"The National Park has suffered a loss of Rs 25 lakhs (this is an initial estimate). About 50 huge trees were uprooted in the near vicinity and 15 families were affected very badly. While the animals seem to be safe, the park is reeling under a power and water failure for the third day on Thursday," says Munde.

Also See: First the rain, then the rumour