: Scientist’s Pesticide-Free Solution For an Assam District’s Rat Menace is Brilliant #IndiaNEWS #Assam On a quiet November evening in Assam, a barn owl awaits the darkness to creep in before flying

Scientist’s Pesticide-Free Solution For an Assam District’s Rat Menace is Brilliant #IndiaNEWS #Assam
On a quiet November evening in Assam, a barn owl awaits the darkness to creep in before flying out of its nest. As time suits, the nocturnal bird then swoops down stealthily on one of the rice fields in Lakhimpur village, where it preys on a rat and returns with its hunt.
“On average, an owl family, which includes the pair and three owlets, consume six rats,??? says ornithologist and chief scientist Prabal Saikia, who works at the Regional Agricultural Research Station (RARS) of the Assam Agricultural University.
Prabal says November is the season when owls breed, the time of the year coinciding with the ripening of rice grains in the fields that attract rats who feed on the grains.
In the North-East state of Assam, scientists and farmers are working closely to help farmers keep the rodents at bay using natural methods by avoiding the use of pesticides and increasing the owl population. “Owls are natural enemies of rodents, and this nature’s cycle helps to balance the ecosystem. It, in turn, helps farmers from damaging their crops,??? he says.
Barn owl in nest box.
Barn owls are scientifically called Tyto alba, derived from the Greek words tyto, which means owl and alba is the Latin word for white. It is commonly known as a night owl, monkey-faced owl, ghost owl and white owl.
Pest Control Sans Pesticides
“There are no known figures about the population of barn owls in the region, but the declining tree cavities due to deforestation and other loss of habitat leads us to assume their populations may be declining. Hence, it becomes crucial to conserve and protect the species,??? Prabal says.
He adds that he forayed into barn owl conservation after learning about one farmer Dilip Konwar from Kadam Gohain gaon, Lakhimpur, who had barn owls on his shop’s roof. “It was in 2009 that I heard noises coming from the roof of my shop. I climbed on a ladder to find a family of barn owls surrounded by bones of rats, lizards and other small animals,??? Dilip says.
Prabal checked the nesting and thus began the experiment. In 2012, he conceived a nest box made from soft plywood. “The entry hole of the box was 66 inches in diameter with effective ventilation on two sides and adequate space to accommodate owlets and the birds who could stretch their wings,??? he says.
The small experiment has helped Prabal achieve over 90 per cent success rate in breeding the barn owls against the natural roosting percentage of 60 per cent. Moreover, it has helped farmers control rodents up to 80 per cent, he claims.
“I installed two boxes at Dilip’s house who also ran a rice mill adjacent to the paddy farm. More such artificial nests were shared among farmers in the next few months before the breeding season began,??? he explains.

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