City residents have been rejoiced by the frequent sightings of peacocks in urban centres like Basavanagudi and Jayanagar, but forest officials have mixed views about the birds’ incursions into densely populated areas.
Over the last few weeks, residents of an apartment in Jayanagar 5th Block and MS Krishna Rao Park in Basavanagudi reported sighting of the elegant fowls, while forest officials rescued many from the heart of the city.
“Earlier, peafowls were a common sight in the fringes of Bengaluru, especially in areas with good green cover like Jnanabharathi, GKVK, Jalahalli, parts of Malleswaram, and other areas,” said a range forest officer said. “We began getting information about their presence in the city centre during the lockdown when people’s movement was restricted. We hope citizens will coexist with wildlife,” he added.
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Jayanagar resident M S N Prasad said the sighting of the peacocks is proof of better conservation efforts. “Also, people in rural areas must have realised that it is just not worth the hassle to poach a protected bird,” he said.
Forest Department sources said peafowl numbers have swelled exponentially in places like Yelahanka. “We also find them injured, mostly due to barbed wire fences,” said a source. “It is a new problem that must be looked into. Peafowls are schedule 1 animals enjoying a high degree of protection.”
S S Ravishankar, Deputy Conservator of Forests, Bengaluru Urban, said the department will start a campaign to educate the public on the birds.
“As of now, there is no estimate of the number of peafowls in the city. But we can safely say the numbers have gone up, which is a positive sign. We will take up an awareness campaign and also install sign boards and educate people about the importance of conserving the national bird,” he said.
BBMP’s wildlife warden Prasanna Kumar acknowledged that the peafowl-related complaints have increased in the last two years. “We would get three to four calls a month (about the birds), but now they are 10 to 15. They are cases where peafowls sustained dog bites. This phenomena needs to be studied,” Kumar said.
For now, it is important for people to realise that they should not do anything to scare the birds. “People should also stop feeding them,” he said.
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