Indore (Madhya Pradesh): A tiny peafowl chick, wide-eyed and panting, perched helplessly on the edge of a second-floor balcony in Alok Nagar on Sunday.
The image was startling, not just for its rarity, but for what it revealed. India’s national bird, once a proud presence across Madhya Pradesh, is increasingly being pushed out of its natural habitat and into unfamiliar, hostile urban spaces.
Experts say the incident is not an anomaly, but a visible warning of a deeper ecological breakdown in Indore where rising temperatures, vanishing green cover and a lack of basic resources are proving fatal for the species.
Crisis in numbers
According to local reports, at least 35 peafowls have died in Indore this summer alone, largely due to dehydration and heatstroke. Four were found dead in Kalindi Kunj Society. More carcasses were discovered near the Residency area and Ralamandal—sites where once peacocks were commonly seen.
Despite these deaths, the forest department has managed to install just six water and feed stations across the city. According to officials, over 50 active peafowl habitats have been identified in the area.
“We are aware of the crisis but face budget constraints,” says SDO Ralamandal Yohan Katara. “We’ve taken steps, but clearly more is needed.”
Vanishing icon
The Indian peafowl is still listed as “Least Concern” under the IUCN’s Red List, but urban populations in Indore tell a different story.
A 2017 Bird Count India survey found a dramatic decline in sightings in city zones. At the Govindram Seksaria Institute—once home to over 20 birds—no peafowls were recorded in recent counts. Today, the species is largely confined to pockets like Mhow, Daly College and Ralamandal, where there is natural vegetation.
The issue is not new. Between 2015 and 2019, 47 peafowls died from dehydration in the Indore division. A temporary “peacock clinic” at Navratan Bagh was set up to treat birds in distress but a permanent conservation strategy is still missing.
No data, no plan
Despite years of warnings, Madhya Pradesh continues to classify the species as “data deficient”, with no comprehensive peafowl census or monitoring system in place. Without it, there is little basis for policy or funding.
“We’re losing dozens of birds every summer, and we don’t even have baseline data,” says Shrikant Kalamkar of Wildlife Warriors. “This is institutional apathy at its worst.”
Solutions exist, but not support
Conservationists say the crisis is entirely preventable. Seasonal water bowls, tree planting, safe nesting zones and basic community awareness can reverse the trend.
Rajasthan’s Peacock Mitra initiative is cited as a model—mobilizing schoolchildren and citizens to report and rescue birds.
For now, the chick in Alok Nagar has survived. But many others may not be as lucky.
“If the national bird is falling from balconies instead of flying in forests, we’ve failed,” says Kalamkar. “It is not a biodiversity issue anymore but a wake-up call.”
