GUWAHATI, Jan 23 - In what is being viewed as a big blow to the conservation of the endangered greater adjutant stork, 18 carcasses of the bird were recovered from the Deepor Beel here today.
Conservationists and Forest Department officials are clueless about the possible cause of the large-scale fatalities.
�It is not possible to say anything without a postmortem of the carcasses. It could be a case of food poisoning, but we need to do the required tests to pinpoint the factor/s. The carcasses have been sent to the North Eastern Regional Diagnostic Lab of the College of Veterinary Science, Khanapara, for a complete analysis. No other affected aquatic bird or animal have been found,� Dibyadhar Gogoi, DFO, Guwahati Wildlife Division, told The Assam Tribune.
Gogoi said that the carcasses were found on both sides of the railway track near the railway bridge towards the east of the Deepor Beel Bird Sanctuary.
Meanwhile, Kamrup (Metro) Deputy Commissioner Dr M Angamuthu has ordered an inquiry into the adjutant stork fatalities. �It is a serious issue and we will have a multidisciplinary inquiry by a magistrate, Forest Department officials, veterinarians, and the Pollution Control Board to establish the cause,� he said.
Conservationists believe that the rush of picnickers close to the Deepor Beel � a Ramsar Site wetland and a bird sanctuary � was emerging as a new nuisance with long-term damaging consequences for the wetland�s ecology and fauna.
Acknowledging the threat from picnickers, Dr Angamuthu said that the administration was planning to put a curb on growing anthropogenic pressures � including picnics � on the wetland. �We are serious about it and will do something about it,� he said.
It may be mentioned that the Section 144 has been promulgated in the area falling under the bird sanctuary (the 4.14 sq km core area of Deepor) but the prohibition is being violated with impunity by noisy crowds of picnickers, with the waste littering the wetland.
Of the global population of the greater adjutant stork (1,200-1,800), Assam alone shelters some 600-800. It is said to be the most endangered among the stork species.
Conservationist Jayaditya Purkayastha said that food poisoning from leftovers by picnickers could be a probable cause. �Had the toxic level of the water increased suddenly, other birds would have died as well. The greater adjutant stork has a high tolerance level to toxics as it often scavenges garbage for food. The waste generated by picnickers, including plastic wastes, is a big threat to the birds,� he said.
He added that apart from the 18 dead birds, several others were seen sick and struggling, and the fatality could increase. �It is also likely that more carcasses could be found in the water tomorrow,� he said.
According to Purkayastha, Deepor had a population of nearly 200 greater adjutant storks. �The overall bird diversity in Deepor, which was around 230 species earlier, has dwindled drastically to just over a hundred now. This is extremely serious and indicates growing pollution and disturbance levels in and around the wetland,� he said.