16 grey pelicans die in two months at Kokkare Bellur

Team Udayavani, Jan 23, 2018, 5:54 PM IST

Bengaluru: in the past two months, 16 grey pelicans have died after falling from the trees at the famous bird sanctuary Kokkare Bellur in Mandya district.

On Monday, three pelicans fell from the tree. While two of them died, one is critically ill. It was observed that the feet, legs and fleshy pouch under the beak of the dead birds were much darker.

According to the members of Hejjare Balaga, a pelican conservation group, the mating patterns and other habits of the pelicans were normal. Officials from the forest department and range forest officer Rajeshwari N S visited the site a month ago to look into the deaths and ruled out the possibility of bird flu.

It is said the deaths had caused tension among the villagers, who peacefully co-exist with the birds and share a special bond with them. He said eight birds had died in December 2016 too. Kokkare Bellur is the state’s only community reserve.