Sparrows, known as the most common bird has been integral to everyone’s childhood memories. We have seen them around our houses, schools and playgrounds, chirping away, picking grains and creating much needed distractions during boring lectures at school. They have been friends as well as nuisance.
According to estimates, sparrows have had a symbiotic relationship with humans from the past 10,000 years. House sparrows have always loitered around the human habitat. They kill the insects and worms around the habitat for food. And in return, the humans put out water and grains for these friendly birds. However in the past couple of decades, the population of sparrow has witnessed a significant decline across the world. It is as if the bird is punishing us for taking it for granted.
The disappearance of the bird has gained sparrows a place in the IUCN List of Threatened Species in the U.K. Since 2010, March 20 has been adopted as World Sparrow Day. In 2012, Delhi has adopted the House sparrow as its state bird.
Sparrows deserting the cities and staying away from human habitat has brought upon many speculations for the reason of its behavior. Absence of insects for food because of excessive use of chemicals and lack of vegetation might have discouraged the bird from lurking around the buildings. Lack of space for nesting because of the high rise constructions with air conditioning everywhere might not allow them to settle even if they choose to visit. Excessive air and noise pollution in the city is driving away even the humans, so why would the birds stay. And lastly, electromagnetic radiations from the cell phone networks are major culprit for the bird’s absence. Everything boils down to the fact that the human life style is changing significantly which has made it impossible for the sparrows to coexist.
This Word Sparrow day, Sterling Holiday Resorts Limited, made an effort to create an awareness about the declining population of sparrows amongst its guests. They celebrated the day by conducting interactive sessions with puzzles and quizzes based on the sparrow. The celebrations witnessed a good response especially among children and their families. Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Ramesh Ramanathan, Managing Director of Sterling Holiday Resorts said, “The celebrations were aimed at raising environmental consciousness among children and their families. It was great to see such an enthusiastic response from our guests, especially children.” He added, “We will continue to support the cause through our Save the Sparrow Initiative as we are keen to make a difference and help save the sparrow from extinction.”
Oberoi mall in Mumbai too celebrated the occasion association with Nature Forever Society in a two day event on 12th and 13th March. This was in order to sensitize people about different species of sparrows in urban environment and create awareness about the dwindling population of sparrows. The activity was designated to make people understand the threats the species face and prevention measures that can be taken to protect them from extinction.
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The CSR Journal Team