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Preservation Perseverance

Minjay, Lhuentse: Of recent I have picked up the Black-necked cranes in Lhuentse as the call of my conservation instinct. This is not because I am on the winning side in any case but merely because conservationists will be. I am very much insistent that urgent intervention is required from the relevant agencies in order to ensure that the birds in Lhuentse continue their annual migration routine unperturbed.
In my unwavering efforts, I have been able to bring the presence of the elegant and graceful birds in Lhuentse in limelight. This is done by presenting the news on Bhutan Broadcasting Service in order to alert the concerned. 


Bhutan Observer will be featuring the news this week and several articles have also been featured in weblogs and blogs in an attempt to reach wider readership and invite to come forth for intervention.. Biggest achievement is when I could formally lodge the report with Royal Society for Protection of Nature through mails as well as by contributing the news articles in their website with photographic evidence.
The current status remains with RSPN’s insistence on need to confirm the regularity of their visits, duration of their stay and reason for their wintering in Lhuentse. I have also faithfully serviced them with all information my capacity allowed. And it is felt positive that Lhuentse may receive the ‘bird service’ probably by next winter. This is however, ‘service-out-of-box’ as far as my line of ToR is concerned. But I am doing it in best faith that may the vulnerable birds regain their population to be able to cling on without extinction.


My perseverance on preservation of the black-necked carne in Lhuentse is substantiated by the fact that people claim of their coming in past many decades. The 70 year-old man confirming the birds’ presence in the place during his childhood days is evident that people saw them but did nothing. The call for intervention is felt when their visits became irregular probably due to disturbance by local people, death of one bird went unreported, unexamined and uninvestigated.


2010-2011 winter can be regarded as their longest stay for in the past, they would roam roosting for a fortnight or so. The number recorded at six is also probably the highest sighted birds. The feeding in laymen manner by spilling the paddy grains in the roosting area randomly is also done due to lack of any training or knowledge on scientific feeding modality. But incredibly, the feeding helped make birds an easy pick.


With last sighting in a week before, it is yet to ascertain whether they’ve left the place or not. This is difficult because they are not known to confine their roosting in one place but roam freely among the wetlands in atleast 4 gewogs under Lhuentse. 


RSPN or analogous agencies intervention is deemed to be a great boon to the birds. This is because lack of adequate awareness and advocacy on importance of birds in environmental arena and their status as endangered species by the community who co-exist is betted to have direct bearings on birds. The habitat conservation is also one area calling for immediate intervention since usually the habitat presence in Lhuentse is by default. The green signal provided by RSPN is accounted as support booster.   

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