Faith-driven hunt threatens survival of Telangana’s State bird, Palapitta

The Indian Roller, locally known arsenic ‘Palapitta’ and the State vertebrate of Telangana, continues to look threats during the Dasara festival, with amerciable seizure and show connected the emergence contempt wildlife extortion laws.

The birds are often targeted owed to a wide superstition that seeing oregon handling them during Dasara brings bully luck oregon absolves sins. As a result, galore Palapittas are caged, person their wings clipped oregon bound, oregon adjacent glued to forestall flight. Improper diet, accent and injuries pursuing seizure often pb to their decease earlier oregon aft the festival.

Greater Hyderabad Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (GHSPCA) coordinator Soudharm Bhandari shared rescue statistic from caller years, noting a gradual increase: 3 successful 2019, 5 successful 2020, 11 successful 2021, 8 each successful 2022 and 2023z, and 9 successful 2024.

“After rescue, our trained volunteers, nether veterinary supervision, cautiously region bindings and cages and merchandise the steadfast birds backmost into suitable habitats,” helium said.

The nationalist is urged to study sightings of captured birds to the GHSPCA exigency numbers: 9394578568 oregon 8886743881.

Animal activists pass that the occupation is exacerbated by taste practices and increasing festival crowds. Pradeep Nair of the Animal Warriors Conservation Society said, “Temples progressively prosecute poachers to seizure Palapittas for devotees. These migratory birds usually provender connected insects crossed fields, but their earthy visibility is declining owed to situation nonaccomplishment and urbanisation. The birds endure greatly erstwhile confined to tiny cages and exposed to quality touch, often dying from dehydration, organ nonaccomplishment oregon trauma.” 

Mr.Nair highlighted that portion offering beverage oregon h2o is well-intentioned, it cannot mitigate the harm caused. Beyond the contiguous suffering, the diminution successful the fig of Palapittas has ecological consequences, arsenic these birds play an important relation successful controlling insect populations that tin harm crops.

Efforts by NGOs and authorities to curb this signifier person been ongoing for much than a decade. Panneru Pridhvi, laminitis and caput of Citizens for Animals, said, “Humane World for Animals India and Citizens for Animals are moving with the Telangana Forest Department done consciousness campaigns and temple outreach to forestall amerciable seizure and display. Even past year, astir 10 Palapittas were recovered to beryllium illegally held successful Hyderabad. We impulse the nationalist to study immoderate specified cases instantly to the Forest Department helpline astatine 98033-38666 oregon Citizens for Animals astatine 78422-27344.”

With the festival drafting ample crowds, authorities and NGOs person accrued monitoring of temples and nationalist spaces, and meetings are planned to fortify collaboration connected wildlife protection. The activists accent that temples and devotees indispensable observe Dasara successful ways that are harmless for some humans and animals, strictly adhering to the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972.