The diminutive house sparrow or ‘’gubbachi’’ which has all but disappeared from the urban landscape had citizens rooting for it to mark the World Sparrow Day in Mysuru on Sunday.
Besides, traces of evidence of the sparrow population in parts of the city has given hope to naturalists and conservationists who have stepped up their campaign to seek public participation to ensure the safety and revival of the once ubiquitous bird.
While People For Animals (PFA), Mysuru and Jeev Day Jain Charity (JDJC) distributed bamboo water bowls and bird feeder to NGOs and philanthropists, Regional Museum of Natural History and Mysuru Science Foundation conducted a painting contest for children to create greater interest among birds and sparrows in them.
Parisara Snehi Team and KMPK Trust marked the World Sparrow Day with a cycle rally across the city to spread awareness and create public interest in conserving sparrows and providing food and water to these birds.
Mr. V. Yedukondalu, Deputy Conservator of Forests, MM Hills Wildlife Sanctuary, who inaugurated the PFA and JDJC programme said while the larger animals and exotic species like elephants and tigers have their habitat protected and ensures their conservation, sparrows and similar birds in urban areas have little protection and are tethering on the brink of extinction at local levels. But it was heartening to note the revival of the sparrow population in parts of the city including the old market areas, said Mr. Yadukondalu.
He said the near-disappearance of sparrows was an indicator of the disturbance and habitat loss or lack of nesting sites though these birds were still found in large numbers in rural hinterland. Mr. Sumathilalji Pagariya, President, Mysore Pinjrapole Society, Mr. Somashekar, naturalist, Ms. Dilkhush Kothari, President, JDJC were among those present.
Ms. Kokila Ramesh Jain of JDJC who has been spearheading the campaign to revive the sparrow population has been distributing bird houses and feeders since the last few years. She said there was perceptible evidence of the revival of the sparrow population in certain areas where they had not gone extinct altogether. With a little help like ensuring safety, provision of food and water their population can revive as at Devaraja Market, she said.
Incidentally, her initiative to revive the sparrow population in urban areas of Mysuru won plaudits and second place in a contest conducted by Rajasthan Forestry and Wildlife Training Institute, Jaipur during World Earth Day 2020.
However, there are also concerns that the decline of the sparrows in most urban pockets could be irreversible given the changing habitat and lifestyle. Though sparrows are found in rural hinterland in large numbers, bird experts aver their population could go into a decline due to trends of urbanization and changing lifestyle. Use of chemical pesticides to keep the worms and insects at bay has also affected the birds that feed on them. But activists are confident that public awareness and interest can help revive the fortunes of sparrow.
