Karwar: The hornbills which are usually away from people and lives in a safe forest, has befriended the people here. The hornbill has been seen visiting a house in a village in Ankola Taluk everyday and plays with the family members.
There are seven types of hornbills and four types of hornbills are found in the forests of the Western Ghats. Of these, the Great Indian Hornbill or the Great Pied Hornbill are rare, very shy and very large in size. But the way this bird has mingled with this householder has been surprising everyone.
Surprisingly, the Great Indian Hornbill visits the house of Gopal Nayak of Adlur Village in Ankola Taluk everyday. After playing with Gopal, it eats the fruits given to it by his family and goes back to the trees. Over the past three months, the hornbill has been in the company of the family members.
The hornbill, which is found in large numbers in Dandeli, Joida and other dense forests of Uttara Kannada District, is now frequently seen in many taluks of the District. The hornbill is usually found in pairs. They live with their mate and many years ago, the bird was hunted in the forest area and used for food. The hornbill birds in the pair would die if one dies without eating. People have stopped hunting for them in a changed scenario over time.
More importantly, the protection of hornbills has become possible today due to public awareness and strict action by the Forest Department.
A hornbill festival is also organised by the Forest Department as a large quantity of hornbill is found in the forest of Dandeli – Joida. Hornbill birds feed on small fruits found in the forest. Strangely enough, the hornbill, which is far away from the people, is a people-friendly bird in Ankola, much to the surprise of Forest Department officials as well.
Gopal Nayak, who developed hornbill association in Ankola, says, “Surprisingly, this great Indian hornbill is visiting the house of Gopal Nayak of Adlur Village in Ankola Taluk everyday and enjoys his family members’ company.”
According to Forest Collector Gopal Naik, thousands of tourists visit the Kali Tiger Reserve as it has been declared a hornbill reserve. Only rarely do these hornbills catch the eye of tourists. But the hornbill surprised everyone by visiting Gopal Nayak’s house in Ankola everyday.
