Guwahati: Manipur-based animal welfare organisation has recently received information that a ringed juvenile black-crowned night heron, which landed at a local pond in Imphal and died later, was banded at the Weishan Bird Banding Station in China’s Beijing. The medium-sized species belongs to the heron family found in many parts of the world including Asia, North and South America, and Europe.
The organisation received the information after extending strenuous efforts to get details of the tagged migratory bird locally known as ‘Chongkhu’ in the state. An official of the organisation, Biswajeet Meitei, on Monday said that the state’s animal lover’s group is happy that a Chinese bird conservationists’ group has provided them with the information about the bird. He said that on January 23 this year, the National Bird Banding Centre (NBBC), China, informed them about banding the bird at the Weishan Bird Banding Station in Beijing on September 18, 2023. Narrating the chain of events, Biswajeet said that on December 16, 2023, a person from Sagoltongba in Imphal West district informed them that a bird with a ring on its leg was found at his residential pond and got injured after being bitten by a dog, as per a press release.
“We immediately rushed to the spot and found the black-crowned night heron with injuries on its legs and wings and immediately shifted and kept it at our animal rescue home in Thoubal district. The same day, we sent letters with pictures of the bird and the ring to several Chinese animal lovers’ groups, seeking information about the winged guest but no response came immediately. Unfortunately, the bird died on December 18,” Biswajeet said.
Biswajeet said that he also informed the matter personally to a scientist of the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) in Uttarakhand’s Dehradun but no reply was received. He said that the Director of the Hong Kong Bird Watching Society (HKBWS), Yat-Tung Yu, on December 22 last year, had written to him speculating that the ring was used by the NBBC, according to the official release.
“Finally, the NBCC on January 23 this year sent me an e-mail informing that the heron with its tagging number JO8-0900 was banded at the Weishan Bird Banding Station on September 18, 2023. We have still preserved the carcass of the bird at our centre at Thoubal and as we have got its details now, we will dispose of it soon. As our organisation has been accredited by New Delhi’s Central Zoo Authority, we are empowered to rescue animals, treat the injured ones and study their details,” Biswajeet added.
Despite the bird’s unfortunate death, the cross-border cooperation highlights the importance of global initiatives in tracking and preserving the migratory species, the release further stated.