Number of White Herons declining alarmingly

RAJSHAHI, Jan 28: The number of White Herons, commonly known as stork or 'Sada Bok', is declining alarmingly at the local beels and water bodies due to indiscriminate hunting of those by a section of people.
It is learnt, places of Rajshahi like the Chalanbeel areas, Beel Kumari, Bagmara beel, surroundings of the rivers Atrai, Fakirni, Baranoi, Shiba,Narod, Sandha, Sarmangla, Daya, Barai, Hoja and Musa Khan have been completely dried up.
The large trees situated beside those water bodies have been cut resulting in the loss of habitat of varieties of birds including the white herons.
Water Development Board (WDB) sources in Rajshahi informed out of 13 main rivers of Rajshahi division, 11 have been dried up with silt and sand at the river beds. There is no flow of water in these rivers.
The rivers are Baronoi of Rajshahi, Fakirni of Bagmara, Gur of Singra of Natore, Pagla of Kansat under Chapainawabganj, Punorbhoba under Rohanpur, Chhoto Jamuna under Naogaon, Atrai under Naogaon, Bangali under Sariakandi, Karotoa under Bogra, Nagor river and Tulsiganga river under Sona Mukhi.
There are only traces of water flow in Brahmaputra-Jamuna rivers flowing through Mathurapara of Bogra, in Mahananda of Chapainawabganj and Padma of Rajshahi. But branches of these rivers have completely dried up.
As a result of such drying up of the rivers and water bodies, the white herons which used to fly in flocks through water bodies in search of food in the district, are now on the verge of extinction.
Indiscriminate hunting, climate change impact, want of food in water bodies, loss of habitat due to an unplanned and indiscriminate logging have been identified as the main causes of such drastic decline in the number of the birds.
It is learnt, from time immemorial, the white herons have been admired as an enchanting source of beauty in the arena of Bangla poems. The flying of hundreds of white storks and herons in flocks on the background of blue sky during the evening or contemplation of innumerous white herons over the green carpet of marshy land have occupied a special position in Bangla literature.
The flying of those herons and storks to their nests in the evening and twittering of those birds at their nests on top of bamboo trees in the evening are now only a memory.
According to sources, among eight species of white herons and storks, five species of those are now found in our country. These herons are usually 45 to 150 centimetres long in size with long legs and elongated beak and the entire body is covered with while feathers.
Though killing and hunting of all sort of wild birds and animals are banned and a punishable offence in our country, some dishonest people indiscriminately hunt the bird through gunfire, arrows and by setting baits and nets. Some even hunt herons with their pet heron by evading the vigilance of law enforcers.
During a recent visit to the fields of Regional Wheat Research Centre and the Regional Rice Research Centre in Rajshahi, a flock of white herons were seen to stand silently in the fields to catch aquatic insects and frogs from there. The gathering of such a number of white herons is a source of enchanting beauty. But due to impact of global climate change and the deforestation, the herons seem to fleeing away from this land.
Senior Scientific Officer of Wheat Research Centre in Rajshahi, Mahbubur Rahman informed the white herons are a source of beauty.
They used to make their nests on the large trees surrounding the areas and feed on insects of the fields of Wheat Research Centre and the Rice Research Centre for a long time. The places being protected from outsiders, those herons can fly in flocks in search for food without being threatened to be hunted by anyone.

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