Hyderabad: A total of 565 peacocks are estimated to be living at the KBR National Park in Hyderabad, according to the Peafowl Census held on Sunday. The headcount was conducted at the park on Sunday by a group of organisations led by the forest department.
The initiative, aimed at better understanding and managing the park's biodiversity, enlisted the support of various organisations and volunteers including FCRI students, Friends of Snake Society, WWF, Deccan Birders, NGOs, and KBR walkers.
Dedicated teams navigated through the park, which is spread across 390 acres in the heart of the city, to spot, identify, and count the various avian inhabitants, with a primary focus on the majestic peafowls.
The census was carried out under the supervision of CCF Charminar Saidulu, DFO Hyderabad M. Joji, and the forest range officer along with the dedicated staff of KBR Park.
Speaking about the endeavour, a walker noted that the census covered only a quarter of KBR Park, which gave them an estimated number. "We have surveyed only one-fourth of the park and have found 97 peafowl -- male and female -- which allowed us to reach an estimate of a total peafowl population exceeding 500 in the entire KBR Park," he told Deccan Chronicle.
The survey was executed by 84 individuals, who were organised into six groups, each assigned to specific track lanes within the park, informed Soudharm Bhandari, a member of the Greater Hyderabad Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (GHSPCA).
The national park is home to over 600 species of flora, 140 species of birds and 30 different varieties of butterflies and reptiles.
