Assam: Human Actions Threaten Large Population of a Protected Avian Species

BISWANATH: The uncalculated destruction of nature by human beings has been a major cause of the loss of precious wildlife. One of the latest incidents in those lines is the destruction of the habitat of the vulnerable Lesser Adjutant Stork, known locally as the Bortukula.

The Lesser Adjutant Stork appears in the ‘vulnerable’ category of species under the Red List of Threatened Species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The state of Assam has a good population of this avian species and one of the major colonies of these birds used to nest in a particular locality of Biswanath in Assam. They had nested in a few of the age-old massive trees in the region.

But in recent times, the massive trees wherein these birds nested were taken down by the authorities, thus rendering this large population of protected birds homeless. This has raised questions regarding the well-being of these birds and the environmentalists and nature lovers have been saddened by this development.

It can be noted that an organisation named Wildheart Foundation has been working towards the conservation of wildlife in the region. They started their research in 2015 in this field and studied the nesting habits, birth cycle, food habits and preferred habitats of the Lesser Adjutant Stork alongside several other parameters. A survey carried out by the organisation in 2015 revealed the presence of about 61 Lesser Adjutant Storks in Biswanath town and the nearby localities. Following the conservation and awareness efforts, their populations crossed 121 in 2023.

After the felling of the trees where this local population of Lesser Adjutant Storks had nested, several questions have been raised by the environmentalists. Some of them include, how could these age-old trees be cut down without permission from the forest department, and if the forest department actually permitted the same. They also raised concerns regarding the chicks who are unable to fly yet. It remains to see if the concerned authorities take any steps towards the relocation and rehabilitation of this vulnerable species.

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