New Delhi   

‘Peacocks in Rashtrapati Bhavan need more attention'

Under protection: Safe from poaching and hunting inside the President's Estate, the national bird still needs more care to multiply. This one struts across the Parliament House Library area in New Delhi.

NEW DELHI: Inside the fortified 330 acres of Rashtrapati Bhavan the country's national bird, the peacock, may be safe from poaching and hunting, but is still in need of more attention to be able to multiply in numbers.

A study conducted by the World Pheasant Association-India on the national bird in the President's Estate has made several recommendations for ensuring better protection and conservation of the species. While the study points out that the population of the peafowls has not declined in recent years, it has cautioned that there is need for further protection to maintain better numbers.

The study estimates that around 104 peafowls have been spotted in the Estate during December 2008-November 2009. Conducted mainly around the Dalli Khana, Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed Veethi, Giri Veethi and the Nature's Trail, the study points out that distribution of peafowls is more concentrated towards the Gardens and the Ridge areas.

The study that was formally handed over to President Pratibha Patil on Sunday cautions that it has inferred that some disturbances are jeopardising the successful nesting of the peafowls in the Estate. The researchers found only two abandoned nests and a small number of juveniles in the Estate, indicating the need for intervention to allow the population to double.

To assist in the peafowls, the WPA-India has suggested conservation of their habitat, highlighting the importance of the green cover, diversity of herbs and grass.

“In 2008, the ground cover was high in Dalli Khana, whereas in 2009 it was all cleared. The ground cover should be restored immediately in the Dalli Khana and the Ridge areas,” the study recommends, pointing out that the maximum sightings have been in the two areas.

Preventing the fragmentation of the habitat has been cautioned against as the birds have an aversion to humans and are reluctant to fly long distances. “The semi-forest type habitat of the Estate should be kept intact and as a continuous block. Already many offices and staff quarters act as a barrier for the dispersal of the bird,” the report suggests.

With the Dalli Khana and the Ridge area being more likely to become nesting areas due to green cover, the study suggests more attention to the two areas. It also suggests reviving and providing more water bodies and water course in the Ridge area. Suggestions also include increasing the bamboo thickets near nesting sites and increasing the number of native trees and shrubs rather than the ornamental ones.

The study also calls for limiting vehicular movement inside the Nature's Trail and the Ridge as vehicles jeopardise nesting and an end to the practice of collecting fuel wood from the Ridge area. It calls for people's participation, and special attention by the gardeners. “Peahens should not be disturbed if found nesting, some hoardings and posters depicting the do's and don'ts for the protection and conservation should be installed in the Estate for general awareness.”

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Adding meaning to cinema
Fuel price hike made State richer: Deora
Will remove malba within four weeks, claims MCD
“Meri Dilli, Meri Yamuna” for a cleaner Capital
INA likely to be one of the busiest metro stations
‘Peacocks in Rashtrapati Bhavan need more attention'
Reforestation drive in South Delhi started
Delhi Government joins hands with NIFT, two other institutes
‘Avoid writ jurisdiction if alternative remedy exists'
On a Metro ride
Flyover near Mayur Vihar Phase I to open today
Man stabbed to death
Domestic help commits suicide
School management under scanner for embezzling teachers' salaries
In the Capital Today

Copyright © 2010, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu