Experts urge Telangana government to draft plan for Palapitta conservation

Wildlife experts have called on the Telangana government to protect the Indian Roller, the State bird, following its inclusion on the IUCN Red List. They highlighted threats from poaching, habitat loss, and pesticide use, urging stronger conservation and legal measures.

 Sangareddy: Wildlife experts have urged the Telangana government to formulate a comprehensive plan for the conservation of the Palapitta (Indian Roller), the State bird, after the International union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) included it on its Red List for the first time.

They appealed to the government to appoint a committee to study the reasons behind the decline in the Indian Roller population across the State and to prepare a detailed conservation strategy.

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Speaking to Telangana Today, animal rights activist and wildlife photographer Shiva Kumar said the government must take strict steps to curb poaching and the display of the Indian Roller during the Dasara festival. He said rampant poaching during the festival had significantly contributed to the fall in the bird’s population. He also called for stern action against offenders under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, to serve as a deterrent.

Wildlife photographer Sriram Reddy stressed the need to protect the Indian Roller’s habitats and nesting areas. As the bird thrives in open grasslands, he said these areas must be protected on par with forest zones. He urged the government to move the species from Schedule II to Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and to safeguard old and dead trees that serve as natural nesting sites.

Reddy added that the excessive use of pesticides had further reduced the bird’s food sources, mainly insects, leading to a sharp population decline across Hyderabad and other regions. As a member of the Hyderabad Bird Atlas (HBA), he said their two survey phases, in February and August this year, recorded only 30 Indian Rollers (26 and 4 respectively) out of 70,000 birds spotted in and around Hyderabad.

Animal Warriors Conservation Society (AWCS) founder Pradeep Nair said there must be year-round monitoring against poaching. He said the Forest Department had rescued 26 Indian Rollers during this year’s Dasara celebrations in Hyderabad and Siddipet but could not extend its operations Statewide due to a lack of manpower and an organised action plan. For the first time, the department registered two cases against poachers during the festival, in Tellapur and Vanasthalipuram.