Symbiosis
THE majestic pelicans have found a safe haven in a quaint little village in Karnataka, Kokkre Bellur. The villagers here have been safeguarding them and other birds like painted storks. The spotted billed pelicans are an endangered species. There were one million of them in the world in 1920. Today, their population has declined aD less than 10,000, and their babitat is limited to India and Sri Lanka.
K P Sasi's film explores dw relationship that has been formed between these birds and the villagers, which has become the key factor behind ibe conservation efforts. Charmed by the birds' sheer beauty, faithful to the age old &*ends which identify them w divine birds, the village dde. believe that if the birds don't migrate to the village every winter, then the next summer it will have a dreaded visitor: famine.
The progeny of these elders, the down to earth farmers of the more realistic world of today, are frankly impressed by the quality of manure that they get from bird droppings. One farmer says, "The collected bird droppings are such good manure that we often mix mud and straw when using it for our crops." They claim too, that the bird droppings are also eaten up by the fish. They hold that the guano is highly nutritious for the fish. In fact, on a certain year when the birds did not come, there was very little fish in the marshes.
And it is not just the farmers. Even the local fishermen have developed a symbiotic relationship with these birds. These starkly dissimilar friends actually guide each other in catching fish.
The birds' protectors zealously ensure that tourists do not disturb them, and hotels are a no-no here. And such is the concern for the birds in Kokkre Bellur, that the elders have even banned lighting of crackers during the festivals, because once this had led to some chicks failing off the trees and dying. Sometimes the chicks drop out of the nests during strong winds. But the village kids form what is for the birds an anti-trauma unit. The children rush to their rescue and feed them with fish, even taking care that the little ones do not choke on the feed.
Unfortunately, what seems to be a boon often ends up as a curse. Ever since the coming of electricity to the village, at least 20-30 birds have been electrocuted. Today, winds of development are racing towards Kokkre Bellur. Hopefully, the birds and their guardians will be able to weather the storm of development. In the process they will probably set an example for the other, more organised sanctuaries where there is conflict between the human popula- tion and the birds' habitat.
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