Farmer's mannequin jugaad keeps peacocks at bay

Mangaluru: A farmer in a remote village –Sankarakaliya-- bordering in Udupi-Dakshina district border , has found a jugaad to keep at bay peafowls invading his farm. Aulin Serrao , placed a mannequin given by his friend as a scarecrow . From then onwards, birds have stopped coming to his farm and he has been able to save his standing crops.

Aulin, 67, was always at the receiving end with his farm on the banks of Shambhavi river. Monkeys, peacocks, boar, porcupines and bisons would keep raiding his farm. The farmer mounted a flex with a tiger’s picture on it, in order to stop monkeys from running riot in his farmland. “This idea helped a lot. Then I started thinking how to keep away peahens destroying my vegetable garden. My friend came as a saviour when he donated mannequin. I dressed the mannequin like a human and placed it close to the vegetable garden. It worked. From the past one week I see no peahens raiding my garden. Earlier, about two dozen peafowls feasted in my garden,” Aulin explains about his jugaad and how it worked. He owns about 20 acres of farmland, which has all types of crops.

Aulin cultivates amaranth leaves, lady’s finger, spinach, brahmi, ash gourd, pumpkin, cowpea in his vegetable garden. “The peacocks mainly feasted on amaranth and cowpea. Now, they just look at the garden from a distance. I have to save my crops as it is my bread and butter,” says Aulin adding that his tactics are harmless.

His success has inspired others in the vicinity. He added that one of his neighbours, who grows vegetable in large quantities too has placed a mannequin in his garden. “I have ordered two more mannequins, which will be placed on my farm to chase away the monkeys. It will be delivered after Diwali,” he added.