When the stork comes calling
BRIJ KISHOR GUPTA
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An NGO in Assam works to rescue and rehabilitate the Greater Adjutant Stork, as its numbers are dwindling at an amazing rate.
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GREATER ADJUTANT STORK: In need of protection. Photo: Brij Kishor Gupta .
The Greater Adjutant Stork (Leptoptilos dubius) is one of the most endangered stork species in the world today. In Assam, this stork is known as Hargilla. The species was once widely distributed in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Southern Vietnam.
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In India, the maximum number is reported in the Brahmaputra valley of Assam. According to BirdLife International, the population of these birds in India is estimated to be as low as 700. Its population in other countries could be even smaller.
The declining population of the Adjutant stork is attributed mainly due to loss of its habitat, depletion of food and large nesting trees to some extent, possibly due to contamination of food, change in agricultural practices, use of pesticides and chemical fertilizer in agricultural fields and hunting.
Shimanta Goswami and Dr. Bidut Jyoti Das, founders ofthe Green Guard Nature Organization (GGNO) Assam, are involved with rescue and rehabilitation of greater adjutant storks in the state. According to Goswami, these birds are mostly sighted in the Barapeta, Kamru, Morigaon and Nagaon districts of Assam. The stork colonies in the Nagaon district of Assam considered to have the largest breeding population of storks. At Nagaon, the decline in the number of nests was obviously due to loss of habitat. Frequent thunderstorms in the pre-monsoon season are responsible for the destruction of many nests.
The GGNO takes rescued birds to the rearing centre for veterinary care. The birds are kept in a naturalistic enclosure for a few weeks and then shifted to the main rearing enclosure, where they are closely monitored and their behaviour and socialisation is closely observed and ringed for identification.
Once the birds are found fit, they are released into the wild. After release, the birds are monitored by biologists and locals trained by the NGO.
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