The Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) has urged the Forest Department to declare the critically-endangered forest owlet,a diurnal owl said to be found only along the states Satpuda Hills,as the state bird. Society director Asad Rahmani has,in a letter to the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF),urged the department to replace the present state bird,the green pigeon,with forest owlet to ensure that the latter is saved from extinction. Global estimates put the number of forest owlets in the world at a mere 250. State PCCF Chandrasekhar Joshi told Newsline last week that he had received the request,but had not considered its approval yet. There are different opinions; some believe that by making the owl our state bird we will,in fact,threaten its existence,further. Today,the birds are found in small numbers,but by virtue of their anonymity are left alone by hunters. Some people think that by bringing these birds into limelight,we may end up destroying their habitat. However,Joshi said the department would consider the request if a majority of the public supported it. If approved,Maharastra will be the first state to have an owl as its state bird. In his letter,Rahmani said,At present our state bird is the green pigeon. It is found all over the country; in nearly all states. It is a common bird; and also found in good numbers in our forests. Hence,Maharashtra cannot be identified with the yellow-footed green pigeon. The letter claimed several benefits in having the forest owlet as the state bird. Owls are friends of farmers,it said,and making it the state bird will help in educating people about the importance of owls in the ecosystem and the economy of farmers. Raju Kasambe,project manager with the BNHS Important Bird Area (IBA),said,These owls are found only in Melghat,Toranmal,the Yawal Sanctuary in Nandurbar and Shahada in Dhule. While Melghat sees the highest population,the birds are killed by Adivasis in regions of Shahada for black magic. Some tribals kill it for meat too. By making it the state bird,we will manage to stop these killings. The society also points out the forest owl has a great potential of encouraging tourism in the state,considering that several people from around the world visit Melghat and Toranmal only to see these birds. The tourists are becoming a good source of income for the trained Korku tribesmen in Melghat as they are hired for locating these rare owls. Also,it is our responsibility to save this rarest owl species in Maharashtra, the letter said.
