Chennai: A pelican suffered a neck injury after it was attacked by a man at Korattur lake around 9am on Saturday. People at the spot intervened, chased the man away and alerted forest officials, who later rescued the bird. The pelican, weighing around 6kg, was rescued around 1.30pm and is undergoing treatment, said forest officials..The Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, defines “hunting” to include killing, capturing, trapping or baiting a wild animal, as well as injuring or destroying it or taking any part of its body. Thus, an attack that injures a wild bird can attract provisions of the Act even if the bird survives.The incident has renewed activists’ demand to declare Korattur lake a bird sanctuary. S Sekharan, secretary of Korattur Aeri Padukappu Makkal Iyakkam (KAPMI), said poachers pelt stones at pelicans that come close to the lake shore. He said the lake is a biodiversity hotspot that attracts birds such as glossy ibis, open-billed stork, wood sandpiper, black-winged stilt, purple sunbird and Eurasian coot, as well as pelicans.
Spread over nearly 600 acres, Korattur Lake is one of the major water bodies in the western part of the city and serves as an important habitat for birds.
On Aug 27, World Lake Conservation Day, members of KAPMI held placards demanding that the lake be declared a bird sanctuary. The organisation also submitted a petition to water resources minister N Anand, he said.The incident comes against the backdrop of long-standing concerns over the protection of Korattur lake. Activists have approached National Green Tribunal over issues including sewage discharge, industrial pollution and encroachments which have shrunk the lake from 990 acres to nearly 600. They have raised concerns over the safety of birds that use the lake, particularly during the migratory season, and are seeking stronger protection for the waterbody.
