Wildlife finds safe haven in govt buildings

A flock of bright green rose-ringed parakeets zoom across the clear blue sky every evening; their screeches muffled by blaring horns and traffic on Ethiraj Salai. But what attracts these birds to this dusty, busy locality choked with high-rise buildings? A large patch of tall, old trees in Egmore’s post office, which they have made their home. This locality is a classic example of how the city’s changing landscape has made government buildings a safe haven for local wildlife.

“Over the past 20 years, the face of Egmore has changed. As a teenager, I remember walking past large trees that lined all the roads. Fruit bats would come out of hiding after sunset and their silhouettes fascinated me. However, now I can only see fifteen-storey buildings with cold, lifeless glass facades,” said 63-year-old Ravishankar P, a resident of Pantheon Road.

This drastic change has forced bats, birds and other wildlife to find shelter in the few sprawling campuses like the government museum, DPI complex and government maternity hospital, where the greenery is undisturbed.

Rapid urbanisation has caused the city’s physiography to change — Chennai has lost almost 40 per cent of its greenery since 1960, said Dr P Dhandapani, Retired Deputy Director, Zoological Survey of India. He recalled, “When I was pursuing MSc Zoology, areas beyond Thuraipakkam, which is now an IT hub, were labelled ‘reserve forests’. Unfortunately, the very people responsible for protecting it sold it for development.”

Even as recently as 1990, leopards could be spotted near the airport, scaled ant eaters roamed Sardar Patel Road and porcupines scurried between casuarina groves along East Coast Road. “Even now, wild boars can be spotted in Ennore and I’m sure leopards, too. However, if the proposed port comes up, it’ll destroy the habitat,” he added.

It’s not just loss of greenery, construction styles and materials are a major factor, too. Diana Agarwal, who teaches interior designing at a city college, explained, “Tall buildings and glass facades make it difficult for wildlife to live. Birds don’t find windows or crevices to roost; neither do snakes find burrows in the ground where they can hide because every last inch is built upon.”

‘Pest repellent’ wood and paint are proving to be another hazard. Rajendra Babu runs a hardware store in Triplicane and said, “Many homes use pest control paint additives to keep cockroaches, spiders and lizards away.” Wood is similarly coated to prevent wood borers or termites from destroying it. Also, many constructions that use a lot of wood are fumigated before occupation with pest control gases. “Has anyone ever thought of how much we’re disturbing the ecosystem by eliminating these creatures? Chemicals are equally harmful to humans, too,” he explained.

These reasons could be why government buildings such as Kalas Mahal or the Madras High Court are safe zones because of their Indo-Saracenic style of architecture. “Columns, onion domes, pinnacles, minarets, windows, open pavilions, jalis and so on that provide plenty of nesting space for birds and smaller animals,” said Diana.

Rajendra added, “They didn’t use harmful paint either. In the olden days, people would use slaked lime to keep insects away — this only repelled, never killed them. This system can be brought back.”

Despite damage to habitat across the city, environmental conservationists like Nishanth R feel it can be reversed. Stating that the city is quite nature-friendly, he said, “I’ve worked in many cities in India but feel that Chennai is more tolerant because most people are god-fearing. If someone sees a snake, they will immediately inform the forest department to catch it instead of killing it because they consider snakes as gods.”

People also place bird feeders in their home, try to help injured animals, participate actively in turtle conservation campaigns and don’t go out of their way to destroy trees.

However, it’s a completely different tale as far as monkeys go. “People are hostile towards monkeys because they are considered a ‘nuisance’. So, they try to hit or chase them away. The poor monkeys haven’t been able to adapt to modernisation either, because of deforestation and tall buildings that are too high to scale for them,” said the expert.

The solution is quite simple, said avid bird watcher and wildlife conservationist Vikas Madhav Nagarajan. “Flora, fauna and humans can coexist if people focus more on reforestation than aesthetics. For example, if a builder decides to plant native species of trees inside a condominium apartment or hotel instead of a fancy lawn or landscape, wildlife will thrive,” said this student pursuing chemical engineering in SSN College.

Similarly, residents’ welfare associations of each locality can get together and conduct tree planting drives or dedicate a small space in every apartment for greenery. He said, “Wildlife thrives in government buildings because large spaces of land are left undisturbed and green. If we can implement this in our very own backyards or societies in a small way, it will become a haven for all creatures.”

Dr Dhandapani added, “What’s more important is to weed out and destroy ‘killer’ plants such as lantana that are eating into our forests and urban greenery.”