ITANAGAR, Apr 30: Staff of the state’s department of Environment & Forests has recently spotted the White-bellied Heron, a rare species of the Large Heron family, now categorized as ‘Critically Endangered’ in the IUCN Red Data Book and listed as Schedule IV in Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. 
Walong in Anjaw district was the location from where the White-bellied Heron (Ardea insignis) was spotted and photographed by a team comprising DFO, Anjaw Forest
Division Santosh Kumar Reddy, Scientist Dekbin Yonggam and RFO Nosing Pul earlier this month. The elusive bird is one of the rarest species in the world and is presently found only in Bhutan, Myanmar and Namdapha Tiger Reserve of Arunachal Pradesh. It had also been recorded in the adjacent Kamlang Tiger Reserve through camera-trap images. The sighting of the bird in Walong which is above 1200 meters mean sea level is the first to be made in the higher elevation areas in India. Ornithologists believe that presence of nesting sites in the area is a positive sign for its future habitat expansion. It needs mentioning that the breeding season of White-bellied Heron starts from February and continues till June. Keeping in mind the nature of the bird which exhibits a strong dislike of human presence, the communities staying nearby, birders, tour-operators and other concerned individuals have been advised to stay away from the area. The GB of Walong has been requested to make the local communities aware of the importance to protect the bird and conserve its habitat. Awareness pamphlets have also been distributed in this regard.
Expressing immense happiness over the ‘discovery’, Principal Secretary & Principal Chief Conservator of Forests R. K. Singh said: “It is a great news that this critically endangered bird is establishing new habitats beyond its traditional range. This itself epitomizes the positive health of forest ecosystems in this biodiversity-rich state.”  The state’s Chief Wildlife Warden G. Kumar while expressing excitement applauded the conservation measures taken by DFO, Anjaw and has constituted a fact finding committee for further documentation. The team comprises scientists from the Department and from reputed national institutes like the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun and Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata. 
A joint field research for charting the future conservation prospects of this rare and globally threatened bird will be launched soon by the team.

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
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