Peacocks perish from Bihar village named after them - Hindustan Times
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Peacocks perish from Bihar village named after them

By, Patna
Apr 20, 2022 09:35 PM IST

Population of peacocks in More Gaon, a village in Bihar’s East Champaran district which was originally known as Madhopur Gobind but was renamed a few decades ago after the name of the national bird, is down from around 200 two decades ago to hardly a dozen now, according to locals.

Population of peacocks in More Gaon, a village in Bihar’s East Champaran district which was originally known as Madhopur Gobind but was renamed a few decades ago after the name of the national bird, is down from around 200 two decades ago to hardly a dozen now, according to locals.

Peacocks first came to More Gaon as pets nearly five-six decades ago when some villagers purchased the birds at the famous Sonepur fair and left them in open in the village. Over years, their population increased tremendously in the village. (HT PHOTO)
Peacocks first came to More Gaon as pets nearly five-six decades ago when some villagers purchased the birds at the famous Sonepur fair and left them in open in the village. Over years, their population increased tremendously in the village. (HT PHOTO)

While some died of old age, a majority died because of the rampant use of pesticides in vegetable farms in the village, residents say.

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The matter also came up at the meeting of State Wildlife Board on Monday last when chief minister Nitish Kumar expressed his concern and asked the department of forests and environment to focus on the conservation of peacocks, according to one of the officials who attended the meeting.

Peacocks first came to More Gaon as pets nearly five-six decades ago when some villagers purchased the birds at the famous Sonepur fair and left them in open in the village. Over years, their population increased tremendously in the village.

According to locals, CM Kumar, when he visited the village during in 2012, was fascinated by the sight of peacocks prancing around in the village and asked officials concerned to prepare a conservation plan for the national bird and to develop the village as a destination for nature lovers and bird watchers.

“There were more than five dozen peacocks in the village at that time. The chief minister spent a few hours here and asked officials to prepare a conservation plan. Though officials later paid a few visits, no concrete work has been started,” says Pramod Singh, a native of More Gaon.

“Madhopur Gobind was mainly a village of army men. Even my father and my brother were in the Indian army. Many servicemen, including my father, purchased peacocks from Sonepur to support national bird. He even got a pond developed for these birds. But more care is needed,” he said.

Arvind Mishra, state coordinator of the Bombay Natural History Society, said that after CM’s visit to the village, he had submitted a report, recommending an aviary be created there to protect the birds against animals. “Crops loved by peacocks too were to be promoted there while more water pools were needed,” he said, adding that hardly anything was done so far.

Deepak Kumar Singh, principal secretary, department of forests, said after the CM’s directions during wildlife board meeting, they had started working on a conservation plan.

“Peacocks are mainly seen in good numbers in Madhopur Gobind village and at Aranya village in Saharsa district,” he said, adding that no census has been conducted to ascertain their exact numbers.

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  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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    Reena has been a journalist for over two decades. She has the experience of covering wide range of issues, including art, culture, archaeology, tourism, forest and women issues. She has also authored a book and is a recipient of the ‘Ramdhari Singh Dinkar Award’, given by the government of Bihar.

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