STUDY OF FAUNAL POPULATION

BIRDS:

 

 

In Belun and nearby areas we found around  200 species of birds ( resident and migratory, both) throughout the year. There are lots of wetlands and other bird area which are very important habitats. For last 14 years we are protecting all the birds area as well as creating some new habitats which can support more birds species. The hunting of birds are already stopped in the area. One of the important ongoing project is the ethological and behavioral study of different species of Birds. For the past 4 years we have been closely monitoring the population, behavior, nesting habit, reproduction and other physiological activities of several  Bird species.

 

Blue-Tailed Bee Eater

Every year, in the month of march hundreds of Blue Tailed Bee Eaters make their nest in the banks of River Ajay and Shibai near Belun. We are studying their ecology for the last 10 years. The number of pairs making nest is increasing every year due to the continuous efforts of our organization. Every year our volunteers modify the river banks to make it suitable for the birds to make their nests. Extensive watch is kept to see that there is no hunting and no one disturbs them during the breeding periods.

 

Kingfisher

Common, Pied, White Throated, Brown Headed Stork Billed. Four different kinds of Kingfishers are resident in our area. They make their nest on the sloppy river banks near the banks of a large water body. Previously, villagers used to steal their eggs and kill the adults as table items. But now it has been totally stopped through our repeated mass awareness campaigning.

 

Owls and Owlets

Barn owl, Spotted owlet, Brown fish Owl, Oriental Scops Owl. Owls are one of the most important predator of paddy field ecosystems as it feeds on different paddy pests. For the protection of owls and owlets conserving their nesting habitat i.e. old trees with tree holes is most important criterion. We carry out mass awareness campaigning  for the protection of old growths.

 

Migratory Birds

Belun and its surrounding area is the winter ground for varieties of different types of migratory birds . For the protection of these birds our volunteers work throughout the year.  Now we are planning to acquire one  huge water body, called Chotpukur,  from a private owner, where the migratory  can winter without any human interference and also home to thousands of Terrapins.

 

Snakes:

For last 15-16 years we have been extensively studiying many snake species,[ general study of 22 species has been done so far] in different parts of Eastern India. Photographic documentation of these species have been carried out extensively along with general study of population status and behaviour. In addition to these study, we carry out awareness programme for the conservation of these animals and their protection among the local masses in places where we continue our study. Every year we rescue lots of snakes from villagers house and release them in safe places outside the village perimeters in their natural habitats.

 

Fresh Water Terrapins

Terrapins were one of the most favorite delicacy among the villagers until we started campaigning against its hunting, around 9-10 years back. At present hunting has been stopped almost everywhere in our area. We have started the concept of conserving wetlands for the protection of terrapins as well as other aquatic fauna.

 

Lesser Cats

Jungle often kills poultry birds from village leading to conflict between them and villager. We were finding it difficult to convince the villagers to stop killing these animals. Then we launched a detail study to find a way to mitigate the problem. It was observed that a single Jungle Cat indirectly save around 600 Rupees of grain every 8 month period by killing field mouse but on other hand it kills only  1 or 2 poultry birds worth 200 Rupees only. After projecting our findings to the villagers it became easy to make them understand the actual situation which led to decline in hunting and at present killing has stopped totally.

 

Dolphins

We are studying three different species of Dolphins [ Gangetic, Irrawadi and Indo-Pacific hump back Dolphins] in Ganges basin. The Gangetic dolphin which was once common in the Ganges is now confined only in  few pockets in the whole Ganges. Fortunately, we have managed to find a new population in the surrounding  areas of Burdwan, Murshidabad and Hooghly. We are in the process of photographically documenting these animals in some areas of Hooghly river. Irrawady and Indo-Pacific Dolphin are being studied in the Sunderban regions.

 

Elephants

For the last five years we have been monitoring effects of elephant – human conflicts and trying to ascertain the reasons behind . In addition to these we have been documenting the wild population in North Bengal for the last few years.