July 20, 1998

Modernity threatens a village's ancient bond with its pelicans and storks.

By Stephen David

When 12-year-old Gowramma trudges home from her ramshackle school each day, she stops to buy some choice morsel for Rani. The object of her affection is rather unusual. A leggy, two-year-old painted stork, Rani is one of the 150 such birds that inhabit Gowramma's village, Kokrebellur. About 120 km north of Bangalore in Mandya district, the village is named after the birds. And well it might, for the association of the village with the birds goes back 500 years. Local history has it that painted storks used to flock to the banks of the beautiful Sulekere lake. With time, a village sprang up near the lake, but the villagers, enchanted by the birds, took care not to disturb them.

This bond endured, but after centuries it shows signs of fraying. This has been a cause of dismay for bird lovers. "The painted storks, like the spot-billed pelicans which also make a home in Kokrebellur, are an endangered species under the Wildlife Protection Act," says ornithologist M.B. Krishna. "From a few million a decade ago, their numbers have declined to a few thousand and that is why villages like these are a key to their survival."

Fish form the staple diet of the birds and ponds are their natural habitat, but the plentiful waters of Sulekere have depleted. Besides, villagers have felled a large number of neem and peepul trees on which the birds make their nests. With Kokrebellur slowly becoming an arid zone, the lot of the villagers has also become difficult. And as they gird up to face life's drab realities, they have had to shift their attention from pelicans and storks, perhaps further endangering the existence of the birds. "We have grown up with these birds but are now unable to look after them properly due to the depletion of water resources," says farmer Linge Gowda ruefully.

There are, however, some efforts being made to save this special bond. Four years ago, when it seemed that only a miracle could save the storks and pelicans, birdwatchers from the Mysore Amateur Naturalists (MAN) formed a group, Hejarla Balaga (Pelican Clan), to protect the birds. As the Government failed to heed the group's pleas for funds, it had no option but to fall back on its own resources. Manu K, who started the group, feels this was a blessing in disguise. "We started from scratch, with only the support of the villagers. It was one of the best things to happen. This way, there is more responsibility to keep a 500-year-old tradition alive," he says.

But the road to good intentions is invariably paved with problems. Funds are the greatest problem. Refusing to be disheartened, the group raises money by selling greeting cards and collecting donations. This sum is used to buy fish for the birds. man does not merely forage for funds, it studies the birds' nesting habits and their diet pattern. It also runs a pen where, at present, there are 60 hatchlings. Volunteers flock to feed the perennially ravenous birds and as each bird consumes a kilo of fish daily, feeding is expensive.

A witness to the changing times, Thammanna Gowda, 70, blames new farming methods for polluting the water and for the decline in the number of birds. "The use of toxic pesticides has not only affected the groundwater table but also the quality of fish here," he says. And he's fighting the battle in his own way; in his cattleshed five storks pick their way daintily around mounds of fodder and lowing cattle. "They are as much a part of my family as we are of this village," he says proudly.

The cycle of seasons dictates the arrival of the birds. While pelicans arrive in November-end and stay on till April, storks arrive in January and leave after August. There is a funereal atmosphere in the village during September and October when no birds are present. "It's like a winter vacation for the birds," says Preethi, 13, a volunteer. Life is tough, both for the birds and their protectors. Manu, for one, has left behind a promising engineering career. "These birds," he laments, "have no one to turn to." But as long as they have a few friends who want to save them, Kokrebellur's unique tradition may well survive.

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