Peacock census to begin from Dec 1
The forest department of Rajasthan will carry out the peacock census in Jodhpur district between December 1 and 7.
The employees from the panchayati raj institutions (PRIs), non-government organisations (NGOs) and wildlife lovers will take part in the census, which will be conducted using the line transect method, said Bhagwan Singh Rathore, the assistant conservator of forest, wildlife.
Under the line transect method, the birds are counted on the basis of their sighting on a particular path.
The last peacock census in Rajasthan was conducted in the Sariska National Park in 2001.
Emphasising on the need for the peacock census, Dr Hem Singh Gehlot, an assistant professor of zoology department in the Jai Narayan Vyas University, said that the number of peacocks was very high in Western Rajasthan, but in the last few years there has been a decline in their number. “Feral dogs have become an alarming threat to several wildlife species, including peacocks and chinkara. Besides, the number of peacocks has also gone down due to poisoning and hunting,” he added.
“This census will identify those areas where the number of peacocks is still relatively high.
JODHPUR:
In such areas, more efforts will be made to protect the national bird in future,” Gehlot said.
According to official records, at least 633 peacocks, attacked by feral dogs, were brought to the district’s rescue centre in the past eight years. However, experts said the number could be higher than the reported.
According to them, only 10 percent of the injured peacocks were brought to the rescue centre. Besides, several cases of peacock deaths due to pesticides during sowing of Rabi and Kharif crops were also reported in the district.