Ruffled feathers

Villagers say the tanks have to be repaired but the government has other plans: it’s busy wooing tourists to this ‘peacock village’. “The peacocks have been eating grains from our fields and drinking water from our wells for several years. The summer was especially bad since there is a scarcity of both water and foodgrains. But the government is busy building guesthouses and hotels for tourists, “ said Kamal Shivaji Dhanesar, a villager.

“Tourists and those from the city send foodgrains when they hear of the peacocks’ plight, but there is no fixed pattern. If we get them, we scatter them on our fields for the birds to eat,” said Gopinath Nanekar, a villager.

But Morachi Chincholi’s sarpanch Mahesh Gorde seemed happy with the attention the birds and the village were getting. “Our village has traditionally been home to thousands of peacocks and we felt that developing the village as a peacock attraction would do wonders for both the birds and the people. A guesthouse with two big rooms is already ready, but remains to be furnished,” he said, beaming with pride. “The Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation has granted us over Rs 50 lakh to develop Chincholi into a tourist spot. A stadium, an amphitheatre, a budget hotel and landscaping are being planned,” said former sarpanch, Vishwanath Karanjkar.

Villagers say that while water scarcity is an annual phenomenon, the 10-12 cement water tanks that the forest department constructed for the birds usually have enough water for the birds. “However, this time, the tanks have developed cracks,” admitted Dayanand Ghadge, Range Forest Officer, Shirur taluka.

“The water problem persists only till May. A long-term solution would be to construct more cement bunds to store water,” said Ghadge.

A couple of years ago, the forest department conducted the only census of peacocks in Chincholi and found that the number of peafowl was around 552. “When we told the villagers about the findings, they were shocked and disappointed since there were about 1,000 peafowl earlier,” said Chandan Phadtare of Jungle Cub, the NGO that carried out the census with the forest department.

Many of the villagers said they would be uncomfortable having tourists coming to gawk at their birds. “We were told that the buildings being constructed are for the tourists to come and stay. While we are proud that outsiders will come from faraway places to see our peacocks, we are aware that too many tourists may also make the birds uncomfortable,” said Chandrakanth Nanekar, a villager.

“We asked the panchayat to make Chincholi an ‘abhay aranya’—essentially a sanctuary that would be managed by the people. Commercialisation often comes at a price. For instance, tourists litter the peacock habitat with packets of food, thinking that the birds will eat it,” said Phadtare.

However ornithologist Satish Pande of the ELA Foundation feels a balanced view is essential while planning and implementing welfare measures. “In Morachi Chincholi, people and the peacocks have had a tradition of co-habitation and hence, its essential that the welfare measures are inter-linked,” he said. “While the local population tends to benefit with Chincoli being touted as an eco-tourist destination, its implementation will decide its fate,” said Pande.

Villagers say the peacock population is scattered across neighbouring villages during summer. But the birds find their way back during the monsoon season, said Nanekar. Pande said reports of a fall in peafowl numbers aren’t alarming. He explained that if faced with a scarcity of water, foodgrains or a favourable habitat, the peacock, like any other bird, is bound to go searching for a place where it can get all of that. “It’s obvious that water scarcity will affect the birds. Doesn’t it affect us?” he asked. “However, as no recent census has been undertaken, it would be difficult to know if the numbers have increased or decreased. A yearly census is a must,” he said.