Work stopped at quarry near Hyderabad to let rare rock eagle owl hatch eggs

Quarrying in Telangana’s Vikarabad district was halted for a month to protect a rare rock eagle owl nesting with five eggs. Forest officials and wildlife photographers coordinated swift action, with the quarry owner agreeing to pause operations until the hatchlings fly

Hyderabad: In an environment-friendly gesture, quarrying has been stopped for about a month at a stone quarry in Vikarabad district in Telangana to let a rock eagle owl, a rare bird, hatch its eggs.

The Telangana forest department quickly swung into action after being alerted by wildlife photographers and conservationists about the presence of the bird and the eggs.

Vikarabad District Forest Officer Gnaneswar said on Thursday that wildlife photographer Manoj Kumar Vittapu, who visited the grassland at Yenkathala in Vikar