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Saviour of the pigeons

— Photo: Lingaraj Panda

UNUSUAL PASSION: Tuna Panigrahi feeding the pigeons on the rooftop of his security agency office in Berhampur.

BERHAMPUR: A private security agency of the city has proved to be the saviour of thousands of pigeons that had lost their home recently due to cutting down of trees.

Thousands of pigeons feel themselves secure on the roof of the building of ‘Ganjam Security Service’ on station road. From morning till evening they visit the roof without any fear to get their feed from the personnel of the security agency. Shouts of marching, weapon training and the chirping of pigeons coexist on this campus.

According to Managing Director of the security agency, Tuna Panigrahi some pigeons used to live in their office located in a traditional house with tiled roof as they found scope to build nests. The personnel of the organisation used to provide them small amount of rice on the roof. But around a year ago all of a sudden thousands of pigeons started to perch on the roof. “They moved around us as if they were begging for food and security,” said Mr Panigrahi. The security agency decided to provide food security to the pigeons that had come to them for help.

With increase in number their food demand surely did increase. “It had started from a few handfuls and now we have to feed around 15 kilograms of grain to these pigeons everyday,” he said. Now they consider these pigeons part of their office and every month a special monetary package is set aside for them. Depletion of large trees has a relation with this sudden perching of pigeons on the roof of the security agency.

Earlier the large trees near the Berhampur railway station used to be the home of these pigeons. But all these large trees were cut down for expansion and beautification of the railway station around a year back. It may be noted that pigeons build relatively flimsy nests from sticks and other debris, which may be placed in trees, on ledges of thatched houses, or on the ground. But scope of it has reduced due to urbanisation by humans.

But hope of their survival would never die till there are people like the personnel of Ganjam Security who prefer to provide security to pigeons along with humans.

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