Until recently, for anyone who took the east coast road to Puducherry, Kazhuveli was just another water body, but for Birders and naturalists it was one of the hidden biodiversity havens.
Thanks to their efforts, the large area of ​​the Water Agency has been declared as the 16th Bird Asian Tamil Nadu.
And now work needs to start preserving its ecosystem, which is under threat polluted by waste and reverses hunting soil.
Birders complained that the body of water faced various threats such as garbage disposal and burning, hunting, waste from the surrounding shrimp agriculture, grazing during the summer and the threat of wild dogs.
Vimal Raj, a naturalist and a diligent bird observer said that during the bird migration season was often hunted.
Another bird observer Surendhar Boatan said every time they watched birds, they removed some traps placed for black rabbits and Indian wolves, especially during the dry season.
In addition, some livestock around it is said to release waste to Kazhuveli, where water flows contaminated risk.
Denies the accusation, Villupuram District Forest officer Sumesh Soman said shrimp farming was a problem a few years ago.
Following court directives, the farm has stopped releasing waste to Kazhuveli, and farmers have established treatment plants.
“Recently when one shrimp farm was found to let go of waste to Kazhuveli, a case was submitted against the owner and actions taken against violators,” he said.
He also said all wild residents were expelled from within the Kazhuveli in 2016, and the area was free of current encroachment.
Recognizing the problem of hunting, he said the forest foot warrior team led by a ranks officer in Tindivanam regularly patrolled the water body to prevent illegal activities.
Patrol intensification is the need for hours, feeling Surendhar, because many tippers have been known to throw glass bottles on grassy patches.
This pose a threat to small mammals such as wolves and rabbits that are blackened.
“Decreasing the maximum area of ​​the body of water as a bird asylum is a welcome step.
However, the department must increase the patrol to stop illegal activities inside,” he said, hoping for the sanctuary would be a paradise for birds and animals.