Finding name in jungle

In Jamtara lives a DFO, who is trying to give birds their traditional tribal names back.
A large number of birds from Himalayan region and central Asia migrate to Jharkhand, including Jamtara, during winter.
A large number of birds from Himalayan region and central Asia migrate to Jharkhand, including Jamtara, during winter.

JHARKHAND: This Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) has launched a novel step to identify the birds, many of which are endangered, and name them with their traditional tribal names in order to safeguard feathered creatures located in the area. Ajinkya Bankar, the DFO for Jamtara, has so far identified 146
species of birds in the district and collated their names in Santhali, a local language that is extensively used in the area, to make it simple for common people to recognise them and work for their conservation. Despite Jharkhand being a secure haven for birds, the birds often fall prey to poachers and local villagers as there is a culture of bird hunting for self-consumption.

A large number of birds from Himalayan region and central Asia migrate to Jharkhand, including Jamtara during winter. “While talking to our staff during the meetings, it was observed that some of the birds are known with their traditional tribal names, but it is no longer in practice. The new generation is completely unaware of them.

It was also observed that when we called the birds with their traditional names, it appealed to the locals more than that of their English or zoological names,” said the DFO, further adding that, “Therefore, we decided to identify the birds and list them with their traditional names so that the locals can relate themselves with those birds.” With the help of local staff of the forest department in the district, Van Samiti Members and the local teachers, a list of birds with their traditional names was compiled, he added.

Bankar said they have prepared a list of around 150 species, which is likely to increase after migratory birds start arriving in the region. The DFO said the objective was to improve overall environmental conservation, which will ultimately lead to the improvement of forest cover and wildlife, besides protecting the feathered creatures.

When asked how it came to his mind, the DFO said that during his probation period at Muta Tiger Reserve, they were taught that there must be some medium through which the local people could be connected with the department and environmental conservation. Moreover, bird watching has also been his hobby, which inspired him to take this initiative, he added.

The DFO said that he has involved all his staff and local volunteers by providing training on how to sight them and protect them by calling experts in the field. It is a tradition in the tribal society to carry sling shots, which are seized by the forest officials, he said.

“We have also planted more than 35 species of trees, which is a natural habitat for birds,” said Bankar. Focus was given on growing peepal, banyan, and sycamore trees to improve the habitat for birds.

A local villager, Baldeo Soren, who is one of the volunteers for this greater cause, said that they create awareness about conservation of birds among the people, telling them not to hunt them. They have also conducted a census of the birds found in the region. “We are also preparing a list of birds with their traditional names so that record could be kept with the department.

As soon as we started calling them with their traditional names, the locals started correlating them with their culture,” said Baldeo. Hunting of birds also came down significantly, he added. After the initiative was taken by the DFO, he came across several birds, which he had never seen in his 35 years of life, he added. Another volunteer, Najir Soren, who is a teacher of Santhali language at a local school, said, “Earlier, people used to hunt the birds with their sling shots, but now people have stopped killing them as they can now identify them with their own culture and society.”

Forest guard Sapan Kumar Pandit said that quiz and painting competitions are organised in schools to create awareness among the children about bird conservation. Bankar has also earned appreciation from Indian Bird Conservation Network.

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