Thar peacocks perish amid heatwave, illness

MITHI:

Severe heatwave and a mysterious illness are claiming the lives of peacocks in Tharparkar. In the past two days alone, at least seven peacocks have died, with three more fatalities reported recently in the village of Railo Rind, Mithi. Several other peacocks are also reported to be sick.

Local residents indicate that a disease has been affecting the peacocks for the past two months. They describe symptoms such as watery eyes, followed by the birds collapsing. While the specific illness remains unclear, officials suggest that the extreme heat and associated hunger and thirst are significant contributing factors to these deaths.

Sindh Wildlife Department Deputy Conservator Mir Ijaz Talpur stated that teams are being dispatched to villages reporting sick peacocks to provide medicine. He emphasised the importance of supplying affected peacocks with food and water in addition to medical treatment. Local communities are actively involved in caring for the distressed birds.

The sand-swept district of Tharparkar is particularly susceptible to the impacts of climate change. Its arid environment means that heatwaves quickly lead to severe water scarcity and food shortages, devastating both human and animal populations.