Congress leader Mukul Wasnik clicks picture of endangered Blyth's Tragopan in Arunachal Pradesh
In northeast India, rapid deforestation has been the major factor for the decreasing population of this spotted winged species, as the forests are the main source of food. By removing this source, the pheasants are left with little or no food to consume.
- Jun 13, 2023,
- Updated Jun 13, 2023, 7:07 PM IST
Congress MP Jairam Ramesh on June 13 took to Twitter to applaud his fellow colleague and Rajya Sabha MP Mukul Wasnik for his amazing birdwatching skills in addition to clicking a terrific picture of a Blyth’s Tragopan at Mayodia Pass in the Mishmi Hills of Arunachal Pradesh.
The pic though quite captivating, the Congress leader has raised concerns over the population of the Blyth’s Tragopan which is fast depleting in number and is now an endangered species.
“There is so much more to life than party politics. My colleague @MukulWasnik is a professional birdwatcher and has captured this absolutely amazing sight in Arunachal Pradesh — a Blyth’s Tragopan spotted at Mayudia Pass in the Mishmi Hills. But it’s fast getting endangered”, wrote Jairam Ramesh on Twitter.
The extraordinarily beautiful lloking bird found mostly in the northeast part of the country has been classified as vulnerable because of its small and sparsely distributed population, which is fast declining and becoming increasingly fragmented in the face of continuing forest loss and degradation throughout its restricted range.
In northeast India, rapid deforestation has been the major factor for the decreasing population of this spotted winged species, as the forests are the main source of food. By removing this source, the pheasants are left with little or no food to consume. In addition, its primary habitat is in the forest.
In Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh, the pheasant is being hunted for food with large-scale snaring and are also regularly shot with guns and slingshots.
Sadly, the bird which is the state bird of Nagaland, is extinct in various forests of the state due to excessive hunting for its meat.
The northeast which is endowed with nature’s abundance and a plethora of flora and fauna, may soon lose its glory if appropriate actions are not initiated to stop illegal hunting of such birds and deforestation.