On Monday, the branches of a fully grown tree that housed egret nests were cut.
Mysore: Several people were killed and over a dozen injured when a tree fell on them in Kupya village on Monday. The birds which survived and got injured were rescued by birder Ajay Kumar Jain BK in the early hours of Tuesday.
Birds used to make nests on a Peepal tree in the village. After complaints from residents that the area under the tree was getting spoiled by their droppings, all its branches were cut down by the panchayat on Monday. Egrets are a type of heron which is white in colour.
The incident has baffled wildlife lovers and comes close to the incidents in Hassan and Chikkamagaluru where monkeys and stray dogs were massacred.
Ajay Jain, president of Pragati Pratishthan and bird enthusiast, told TOI that he was called in the early hours of Tuesday by villagers to take care of the injured birds which were moaning in pain. “When I went to Kupya village, about 22 km from the city, some birds were dead. The bodies were found in storm water drains and under trees under stumps. ”
On Monday, the branches of a fully grown tree that housed egret nests were cut. While the adult birds flew away immediately, the sick and the children became trapped, and died from the fall. Those who were injured in the legs and wings have been rescued.
Ajay said that around 13 birds have been rescued. He has been shifted to his hospital in Mysore where he is being treated.
Kupya gram panchayat (GP) president Raghavendra S said the branches were cut after residents complained about the dangerously damaged branches. The Panchayat President said that on Tuesday a bird bird took away the injured birds.
However, a former GP member claimed that branches were cut as bird droppings were preventing villagers from hanging under the tree.
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