Of the 1,500-odd surviving greater adjutant storks across the world, around 900 are in Assam’s Brahmaputra Valley. Each day is a struggle for this endangered species, which is increasingly seeking refuge in garbage dumps on the outskirts of cities. Known as haargila in Assamese, these birds were earlier found in the many wetlands outside Guwahati.
Between October and February — which is the breeding season — the stork flocks to the water bodies. The rapid decline in the number of wetlands around Guwahati has forced the birds to move to a garbage dumping ground near Deepor Beel Wildlife Sanctuary. The rampant felling of trees in and around Guwahati also imperils the survival of the young. The greater adjutant stork now has fewer tall trees for building nests and roosting.
The city administration has shown little or no concern for the conditions that have pushed the species to the brink. In some residential areas, people deliberately felled trees to keep the rackety and foul-smelling birds away. Wildlife experts suggest that the remaining nesting sites be declared as protected areas, to prevent the numbers from dipping further.
The use of synthetic pesticides in and around Deepor Beel is the other threat to these birds. Consumption of non-biodegradable waste also proves fatal for them.
Photos: Ritu Raj Konwar