BALLARI/BENGALURU : One of the last remaining sites for the critically endangered Yellow-throated bulbul — the famed Hampi hills — has been witnessing rampant clearance of its scrub forest in the last four-five days for the illumination of the boulders for the upcoming Hampi Utsav. The bird is endemic to south India. Deputy Conservator of Forests P Ramesh Kumar, however, said the work has been stopped after it was brought to his notice. “I had sent the local officials to look into the matter. Now there is no threat to the birds,” he told TNIE.
The utsav is just a couple of months away and the district administration had begun clearing scrub forests atop the Mathanga hills at Hampi so that the rocks could be illuminated. Wildlife enthusiasts had voiced their concern over this move, saying that the rare bulbul habitat would be destroyed.The scrub forests of Mathanga and the surrounding hills in Hampi in Ballari district are considered as one of the last remaining nesting and roosting sites of these birds. Ironically, the Karnataka Bird Festival was celebrated last year here to highlight Hampi’s unique bird heritage.
Pompayya Malemath, a wildlife enthusiaist and a native of Kamalapur near Hampi, who first noticed the development, said, “The habitat was being cleared in the morning. It is one of the best breeding sites.”
Many trees have been felled and the hills cleared to make way for illuminating the rocky landscape, bird watchers said.Santosh Martin, a Ballari-based wildlife activist, wrote to Deputy Conservator of Forests P Ramesh Kumar requesting him to protect the bird habitat.
He also appealed to the chairman, Hampi World Heritage Area Management Authority, saying, “This should be stopped immediately as it is one of the last remaining sites for this bird. Many bird watchers, scientists and naturalists from all over the world visit this place to study and document it. This site is as much a pride of Ballari district as Hampi.”
Yellow-throated bulbuls
These birds move in pairs and build their nests in the innumerable crevices in the rocky hills. It is the only bird known to breed in rocky terrains. According to Birdlife International, the rare species has already vanished from six sites in Karnataka. Scientifically known as Pycnonotus xanthoiaemus, the species is distributed in Andhra Pradesh, parts of Karnataka and north Tamil Nadu. A survey in 2004 found this bird in 75 locations across South India.
Anegondi Utsav unlikely to be held for third consecutive year
Koppal: For the third consecutive year, historical ‘Anegondi Utsav’ is unlikely to be held in Koppal district this year, official sources told Express on Saturday. The two-day festival, conducted on the lines of Hampi Utsav, was last held on April 11 and 12 in 2015. In fact, Anegondi in Gangavati taluk of Koppal district is a historical place, which was the first capital of Vijayanagara Empire, according to historians. Moreover, despite availability of funds to the tune of ` 70 lakh, the district administration could not hold the festival for one or the other reasons such as drought, sources observed.