Guwahati: Hundreds of birds were found dead in Rangdai Bhagnia village in Assam’s Jorhat district on Friday morning after a thunderstorm with lightning and strong winds hit the area on Thursday night.
The Asian Openbill Storks, which are known to nest in tall trees, were roosting in a tree when the storm hit. The strong winds uprooted the tree, causing the birds to fall to their deaths.
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Locals found the dead birds on Friday morning and alerted the forest department. A team of forest officials rushed to the spot and took the bodies of the birds for disposal.
Some of the nestlings were also found injured. They were rescued by local youths and taken to a nearby veterinary hospital for treatment. The injured nestlings are now under the care of the forest department.
The incident has caused widespread grief among locals and wildlife lovers. They have appealed to Assam Forest department to take measures to prevent such incidents in the future.
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The Asian Openbill Stork is a large wading bird that is found in India, Sri Lanka, and Southeast Asia. It is an endangered species and is listed on the IUCN Red List. The main threats to the species are habitat loss and hunting.