News Date:Thursday, 24 May 2018

In a rare initiative, Katara Cultural Village is offering specially made wooden boxes to the public free of cost, for providing drinking water to pigeons and other natural birds during summer.
The initiative has coincided with the Holy month of Ramadan, the month of kindness and mercy being shown not only to human beings but also to animals and birds.

Many Qatari households use traditional methods to give water to birds, especially pigeons which are an essential part of the Qatari environment. Now for the first time in Qatar, an organization like Katara has come out to popularise this tradition and encourage people to take proper care of the living beings around them.

Katara has prepared more than 1000 wooden boxes for this purpose. The boxes that can be installed in open areas and terraces of buildings come attached with a glass plate to fill water, and a plastic hose to collect water from a nearby tap.

The hose has an automatic system to stop pumping when the glass plate is full with water. The wooden box is open from all sides allowing birds to enter and sit on a piece of wood and quench their thirst.

" By this initiative, Katara aims to revive a Prophetic tradition that encourages believers to show mercy to all creatures. We also want to inculcate the love for nature and the environment in all members of the society, especially the younger generation," said HE Dr Khalid bin Ibrahim Al Sulaiti, General Manager of Katara Cultural Village.

The specially designed wooden boxes are available at Katara Building 15 for the public free of cost.

" There is a growing demand for the boxes. More than 300 pieces have already been distributed," said a Katara source.

Qatar, with its parks, gardens and growing green areas is home to a rich variety of birds and also attracts a number of migratory birds every year.

Katara Cultural Village, while designing its buildings and structures has given utmost importance to environment and green areas. A large number of pigeons and other birds have been spotted in its surroundings. The Pigeon Tower in Katara is one of   its most photographed tourist attractions.