Assam Civic Body Chops Off Trees & Nests Amid COVID Fears, Over 200 Protected Bird Species Dies

GUWAHATI:

Protected Bird Species Death Amid COVID Fears in Assam: A baseless claim kills nearly 200 egret birds, including newborn chicks, in the state of Assam, as the Municipality chops down trees and destroys the nests of the protected bird species. It was believed that the bird's droppings may transmit the deadly infectious coronavirus infection.  Cattle egrets are small herons listed on Schedule IV of the Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972. Cattle egrets are a kind of heron that is white in colour.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has directed the state Forest Minister Parimal Suklabaidya to investigate the incident that occurred yesterday in Tangla town, Udalguri district. Following this, the forest minister asked Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) Amit Sahai to investigate the incident and submit a report, who ultimately directed District Forest Officer Dhansiri to take appropriate action.

The Tangla municipality board sent a warning to local people on June 8 stating that a bamboo grove in the region, which had been home to over 300 cattle egrets, needed to be removed.  

According to the civic body's warning, bird droppings have created an "unhealthy" atmosphere in the region, which may lead to the progression of the COVID-19 disease.  The municipality board ordered the trees chopped down yesterday, wrecking the nests, because the residents did not follow the instructions in the notification.  The birds were placed in containers to be moved according to expert instructions, but unfortunately, many of them could not survive.  

The birds and hatchlings could be seen crying out from within the boxes in the videos. In one video, all but one of the birds are immobile. Many of the 300 cattle egrets were hatchlings, which are unable to fly. The Chief Minister tweeted one of the videos and urged the Forest Minister to look into the matter. 

Moreover, Udalguri is one of the districts in Assam with a total case count of fewer than 1,000. According to state records, the district has recorded a total of 758 Covid cases and currently has 91 active cases.  

With 2,781 more people testing positive for the COVID-19 infection, Assam's COVID-19 overall toll increased to 4,93,688 on Thursday. 34 more fatalities brought the state's coronavirus death toll to 4,344, according to a health advisory. 

Also Read - COVID-19 situation improving in Kamrup (Metro)

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