January 1, 1996
Web posted at: 2:58 p.m. EST
GUHWAHATI, India (CNN) -- Nature conservationists in northern India are claiming a rare victory -- the survival of the greater adjutant stork. It was one of more than 1,000 animals around the world listed as an endangered species and its long-term prospects seemed as unsteady as the ungainly bird's perch in a tree. But now the future of the greater adjutant stork appears safe. (1M QuickTime movie)
"If we cannot do anything, the species is gone forever."
--Dr. P.C. Bhattacharya, conservation project leader
The bird once was common throughout Asia, but as the tall trees in which it nested were chopped down and wetland disappeared, the storks all but died out. Today, they are found only in northeastern India, in the state of Assam.
It was there that the greater adjutant stork got the help it needed to avoid the road to extinction. Its turnaround began five years ago with a program launched by Indian conservationists in which villagers learned how chopping down the trees hurt the birds.
"These birds are found in non-protected areas near human habitation," project leader Dr. P.C. Bhattacharya told CNN. "We are 100 percent dependent on community participation for this because the trees are private property."
The successful program centered on teaching residents which kind of trees the storks preferred and which ones could be cut down.
Today there are 400 more adjutant storks than when the program started. Many villagers now help keep track of their numbers by conducting surveys and counting the birds.
"Assam is the last stronghold for the protection of the species. If we cannot do anything, the species is gone forever," Bhattacharya said.
But something was done and it looks as though the adjutant stork will be flying high for years to come.
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