In Vettangudipatti village in Sivaganga district, as an illustration, this has been the case for almost 50 years now. “These villagers determined to not burst crackers to safeguard migratory birds,” Supriya Sahu, extra chief secretary, surroundings, local weather change and forests, Tamil Nadu authorities, stated.
With the controversy over ‘inexperienced' crackers reaching a fever pitch within the days main as much as Deepavali, Sahu's submit on X, and the accompanying video made by the forest division documenting Vettangudi's journey, confirmed the world a silence that spoke volumes. Within the video, one of many villagers, 78-year-old Arumugam, stated the birds began coming to their village in 1972.
Sahu stated 36.89 hectares surrounding the village, comprising three interconnected irrigation tanks, was declared Vettangudi Fowl Sanctuary in 1977.
“The sanctuary hosts wealthy birdlife, together with the black-headed white ibis and open-bill stork as keystone species, together with cormorants, darters, spoonbills, herons, egrets and whistling geese. Even the uncommon Chinese language Pond Heron has just lately been sighted right here,” added Sahu.
Even earlier than the federal government began its conservation efforts, Arumugam stated they realised the importance of the birds.”Our elders began noticing a sample: when the birds visited us, we acquired good rainfall and prospered and after they did not, we suffered due to lack of rains,” Arumugam defined within the video.He stated they quickly realised that round Deepavali is when the birds hatch chicks and that the firecrackers at the moment are detrimental to their security. Sahu defined that because the villagers view the birds as a ‘divine signal' holding them in reverence, they willingly participated in what ecologists time period as “community-driven conservation”.
“Our function on this village is restricted to thanking them. Yearly, the district collector and forest division officers go to them with sweets throughout Diwali, a gesture of gratitude for this neighborhood's enduring devotion to coexistence,” stated Sahu.
A neighbouring village, Kollukudipatti, additionally quickly joined within the choice to not burst crackers. About 20 years in the past, almost 10 villages surrounding one other fowl sanctuary, Vellode Fowl Sanctuary in Erode, which is about 250 km from Sivaganga, determined to abstain from loud crackers so as to not scare away the birds.
The Vellode Fowl Sanctuary that's unfold over 77.85 hectares of land beneath the Vadamugam Vellode panchayat began in 1996.
Villages like P Merrupalayam, Pungampadi, Thalaiya Kattu Valasu, Thachenkary Vazhi, Semmempalayam and Ellapalayam are among the huge ones surrounding the fowl sanctuary.
The villagers right here realised that visiting birds herald a horde of fowl watchers, thus enabling them to earn some additional money by catering to their wants.
