Distribution of brochures explaining steps and need to conserve the dwindling sparrow population, besides distributing nests with provisions to keep grains and water for sparrows in and around SITRA and the airport marked the World Sparrow Day celebrations by the students of the Zoology Department of PSG College of Arts and Science (PSGCAS) on Thursday.
K.M. Priyadarshini, assistant professor of Zoology Department and M. Senguttuvan, HoD in-charge, gave an introduction on the involvement of students in this initiative.
Principal of PSG CAS R. Rajendran called for initiating house sparrow conservation initiatives on college premises. Mahendra Ramdas, managing director of Mahendra Pumps, stressed the role of individuals in conservation of sparrows. The department felicitated Manoj Rajagopal and Nataraj of Young Indian for their contribution in sparrow conservation by distributing nests.
V. Anitha Raj Lakshmi of PSG CAS, who presented a paper on the emotional bondage between sparrows and humans, said that in 200 locations the sparrow population existed as per the sparrow mapping in Coimbatore city. To nurture them and increase their population and presence in other areas, she called for participation of local community, NGOs besides academic and research institutions.
In Podanur, NEST (Home for Feather Friends), reached out to school students and residents. Explaining the reasons for the dwindling population of house sparrows, NEST volunteers said that no household had processing of food done in the front or back yard leaving some grains for these sparrows. Waste food got into the underground drainage system directly and sparrows rarely got anything from food waste.
Unlike other birds that lived away from human beings, sparrows all along co-existed with human beings. Now, humanity was denying that space. No modern house came with provisions for the sparrows to nest, roost and rest.
NEST called for installing boxes with 20 cm width, height and length either in wood or carton boxes with a hole for the sparrow to get in. For setting up nests, NEST could be called at 98940-20567, 94425-04154, 90036-29919, 98422-78761.
