News Edition 24: We all love our pets, but three brothers from Odisha have taken their devotion towards their animal friends to another level by spending 10-12 thousand rupees per month on them. The objects of their affection – pigeons – have a special house built for them. The brothers, Mahesh, Shankar and Jitendra Sahu of Mahabir Bazar of Dhenkanal, have 15 species of pigeons living in their house. Mahesh said, “I have a soft spot for birds. We have collected over 250 pigeons from different parts of the country.” The brothers run a tiffin stall in town. “We have brought the pigeons from Mumbai, Chhattisgarh and other places. Our family members did not like us collecting the birds initially, but they have come round now and help us in taking care of the birds,” said Shankar.
The birds roam in the sky after having their meal, and come back when Mahesh whistles a special signal.
Mahesh has been collecting the birds since 1998. Premananda Sahu, their father, said: “We did not like them spending so much money on the birds in the initial days. However, we too, slowly fell in love with the birds.”