Көкребеллур: Құстар мен ауылдың ынтымағы

Kokkarebellur Bird Sanctuary, usually shortened by the colloquial usage to Kokrebellur is a village in Maddur taluk of Mandya district of Karnataka, India. The village is named after the painted stork (Mycteria leucocephala), which is called "kokkare" in the native Kannada language. This bird nests here in large numbers every year. The village is situated near Maddur between the cities of Mysore and Bangalore. Apart from painted storks, spot billed pelicans are also found here in large numbers. Both are classified to be near threatened in the IUCN Red List. The village is one of the 21 breeding sites of those birds in India. The uniqueness of Kokkarebellur lies in the long established bond between the spot billed pelicans and the villagers who have adopted this bird as their local heritage, since they consider the birds as harbingers of good luck and prosperity to the village. The commercial benefits derived by the villagers from these birds include the phosphorus and potassium rich manure obtained from the bird droppings (also known as guano). Over the years, the story of this unique relationship between the villagers and the migratory birds has attracted many tourists to the village. For us, these birds are like a daughter coming home for delivery

The main species that nest in Kokkarebellur – the spot billed pelican (Pelecanus phillipensis) and painted stork (Ibis leucocephalus) are given the conservation status of "near threatened category" in the IUCN Red List of 2008. In addition to above birds, there are nearly 250 birds recorded around this area over years.

The spot billed pelicans are protected by law in India and also in several other countries of the region (Sri Lanka, China, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos) to avert threats in the form of tree felling for agricultural purposes. A community based project has been established to perpetuate historical links of the pelicans with the villagers. The Karnataka Forest Department (KFD), the Mandya Zilla Panchayath, the Department of Minor Irrigation and Department of Fisheries and the Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC) have supported the Local Village Level Committee and NGO organizations to conserve and develop all facilities for the birds. The list of planned activities involved cover the following: