Karnala bird sanctuary is fast losing its feathered friends

The Economic Times , Monday, April 25, 2016
Correspondent : Mohua Das

Avian refuge on the outskirts of the city has not been as chirpy as it once used to be. The Karnala Bird Sanctuary in the Raigad district that has been home to 140 species of resident and 37 species of migratory birds is fast losing its feathered friends.

According to Mumbai Bird Race, an annual event held every February with data analysed across key birding sites and habitats in Mumbai shows a stark drop of 42.3 percent within the span of a decade in the sighting of bird species at Karnala, down from 78 in 2005 to 45 species this year. "The drop is largely of forest habitat species, which comprises the bulk of Karnala avifauna," said SunjoyMonga, a naturalist and coordinator for India Bird Races.

Population of birds across the country has been plummeting but apart from real estate development and climate change, several factors have festered in the sylvan shadows of this important bird area and at the centre of the decline that a visit to the Sanctuary and dialogue with environmentalists, wildlife conservationists and avian experts revealed.

A recent worry emerged when a five-member team of Myvets, a wildlife NGO appointed by the Thane Forest (Wildlife) office to conduct a survey of the Sanctuary in January raised an alarm at more than 150 injured and diseased black kites that had been admitted into its new rehabilitation facility between 2014 and 2016, a majority of which were later released inside the sanctuary .

The rehab centre was built in 2014 as a recuperating space for injured birds and animals and the enclosure for kites was also serving as an exhibit housing 30 raptors at a time.

When TOI visited the sanctuary, this sharp eyed bird of prey with its angled wing, forked tail and sharp beak was easy to identify as they sat perched inside the cage, some on a tree and many gliding around Karnala's skyline.

They might make for a glorious sight as they soar and swoop but the consequences have been manifold, posing a threat to the native birds."Small birds never nest in close vicinity of raptors and the kites in Karnala have been seen to tear and carry away nests of birds in an attempt to obtain eggs or chicks," said Madhurita Gupta, wildlife conservationist with Myvets. Large bagsful of waste found routinely dumped within a kilometre of the sanctuary have not helped much with kites scavenging along the stretch.

SujitNarwade, a project scientist at BNHS and expert on avian ecology says that birds are familiar with raptors within its natural ecosystem but invasion of a particular species could cast a certain predatory pressure on native birds. " A large population of black kites is of concern and even though they aren't hunters and may not prey , their presence and call would deter some birds," said Narwade.

The rehab cages house sick and injured cockatiels, parakeets, parrots, tortoise, turtles and rabbits in close proximity of the kite enclosure. "Keeping preys and predators close to each other and visitors flocking to see the raptors would only add to the stress for birds recovering from disease, trauma and illness," said Gupta.

Monga wonders, "Why should birds that don't belong to the forest be rehabilitated inside a sanctuary and made a showpiece? To have anything alien makes diseases easily communicable too."

Another peeve factor is about the sanctuary increasingly turning into a popular spot for picnickers instead of birdwatchers resulting in noise, litter and unrestricted movement. "75 percent of visitors are picnickers. They trek up to the fort, throw liquor bottles and trash the place," said Monga who has been documenting the Karnala habitat for years. "Upper areas of the fort form the heart of Karnala with great patches for nesting and roosting and must not be allowed to degenerate into a picnic spot. Authorities must ensure strict discipline in terms of visitor attitude," he adds.

It hasn't helped much with the Mumbai-Goa highway running along the sanctuary that offers no respite from honking vehicles. A forest guard who did not want to be named admitted, "Because there's no fencing, we've caught many loitering about without a gate pass. Staff is too small and the sanctuary houses exotic birds and tortoises so we put up barbed fence on our own to prevent trespass ing. There's also a problem of water."

Sanctuary authorities have been stirred into action. SarojGavas, additional conservator of forest, Karnala Bird Sanctuary told TOI: "The kites were brought in by certain organisations that did not have the space for it but given the consequences we've planned to discontinue with the kite enclosure and release birds and rabbits in their natural habitat. We're looking at a habitat restoration plan too which should take about three years to implement."

While the isolated nature of Karnala could be self-limiting and conducive to a certain number of species to thrive better, the extent of floral intrusion of exotic herbs, shrubs and trees at the cost of indigenous plants and species could also be playing a critical role, points out Monga.

To skeep the birds flying, a proposed restoration program - rainwater harvesting, nature trails to restrict visitor movements, planting of native fruit, berry and flower plants to feed resident birds and artificial nesters to breed declining native species is meant to encourage the return of the spurfowls and sunbirds.

 
SOURCE : http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Karnala-bird-sanctuary-is-fast-losing-its-feathered-friends/articleshow/51965094.cms?prtpage=1
 


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