Wednesday, 29 February 2012

OUR NATIONAL BIRD IN PERIL


Peacock is our National Bird. Then why the authorities are turning a blind eye towards its being endangered?  Vendors selling peacock feather and items made out of it is a common sight at many busy places like bus stations, shopping malls etc., in different cities of India. To me it is a painful experience to watch huge quantities of this item being carried by the vendors for being sold.  One wonders why the sale of this item is not banned.  Is it not ridiculous?  Is it possible to collect such a huge quantity without killing the peacock?  Answer is NO.  Anyone claims that these had fallen from the bodies of peacocks, there will be no takers for the same. It is intriguing that the authorities  concerned  remain silent spectators when its National Bird is being butchered..

Being a nature lover, I could not resist the temptation of enquiring from one such vendor regarding his native place.  He told me that he hails from U.P. which implies that these feather was collected  from U.P.  I happened to see a news item in the press sometime back regarding the arrest of a peacock feather vendor in some city in northern India.  May be it was an isolated case. Or else how the sale of the same is still going on?

Recently, I got very upset on  seeing a vendor with huge quantity of peacock feather at Bangalore Motor Transport Corporation Station, Majestic.  On spotting him, I contacted the office bearer of Organization Against Cruelties of Animals and brought the same to his notice.  His reaction was not helpful.  In fact he tried to pass on the buck to me asking me to question that vendor and then complain to police.  My point that I do not have the authority for the same did not have any avail.

Will good sense will prevail on the authorities even at this hour to intervene and ban the sale of peacock feather and items made out of it and take stringent action against those violating the same is the moot question.  Otherwise no one can be in doubt that it will not be too long before peacock faces extinction in India.  Are the authorities pretending to be sleeping?  Who is bothered about it  any way?

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