Valley in Odisha where 163 peacocks live in harmony with humans

Cuttack (Odisha) [India], January 1 (ANI): Can you imagine 163 peacocks living at a spot with a bonding with humans? You can see them at the Peacock Valley in Cuttack where the owner feeds the birds in the mornings and evenings.
The story goes back two decades. After the super cyclone hit Odisha in 1999, some peacocks in the wild took shelter in a small forest near the Naraj Firing Range in Cuttack.

At that time, one man named Panu Behera decided to protect the wild birds and adopted three peacocks. Within two years, the number of peacocks reached five, and the figure kept increasing.
The number of peacocks reached 108 before the pandemic, and today it stands at over 163. Now the place is called the 'Peacock Valley'.
Soon, people from surrounding areas came to know about it and started flocking to see the peacocks up close.
With the help of the visitors, first Panu Behera and now his grandson Kanhu Behera, who is a graduate from a local college, is feeding and protecting these peacocks.

Talking to ANI, Kanhu Charan Behera said that he will continue to serve the peacocks till he is alive.
"All this was started by from grandfather. When many peacocks died in the cyclone, he decided to adopt three peacocks. He died in 2017, and by then the number of peacocks had reached 63. The work was started by him and will continue till I am alive. If the government makes it a tourist spot, it will become a great entertainment hub for the people. into a, it will become a good tourist place," he said.
The speciality of this location is that here peacocks live in bondage with humans and trust in a rare scenic environment
Soon, people from the surrounding areas came to know about it and started flocking to the location. They came to glance at the beautiful bird in the open sky surrounded by a hilly green landscape.
Notably, the place is also considered very favourable for eco-tourism. Raising this very demand, thousands of people gathered at the place on Sunday and presented their demand for the place to be declared a Wildlife Sanctuary.

A visitor named Ashok Sahoo from Bhubaneshwar said that a sphere like this can't be seen anywhere else in Odisha.
"We have come from Bhubaneshwar to visit the place. There are more than 150 peacocks here, and they are taken care of by the owners of the place. A sphere like this cannot be seen anywhere else in Odisha. If the place is declared an eco-tourism spot, it can be a great boost," he said.
Another visitor named Sunanda Pansari said "We have come here to see the peacocks on New Year. This is so nice to see a man feeding the peacock, and the peacock is eating it.
"I am from Kolkata, had heard about the peacock valley, so I came here. It seems so unique to see this natural scene. I am surprised the government has not done anything to promote the place," another tourist named Nidhi Bhartiya from Kolkata told ANI.

Keeping in mind, that Odisha is the only state in the country to witness the divine bondage of humans and national animal, the Tiger in Similipal Forest in Khairi (1970-80) and now between humans and the national bird in Naraj, Cuttack.
It presents a good opportunity for the government to consider the heritage site as an eco-tourism spot. It can be a nice way to protect the environment, and wildlife and respect our National Birds. One step from the government can also establish a new atmosphere in the sphere of friendship between Wildlife and human. (ANI)