Brutality towards Openbill birds in RAMEC hospital, Rajshahi, Bangladesh
The Asian openbill stork species (locally known as Shamukh-khol) are constantly struggling to find a habitat in Rajshahi, Bangladesh. These birds are becoming homeless as the trees used to habitat are cutting down indiscriminately.
Such activities of cutting trees are not new in Rajshahi. Strokes species somehow managed to survive and continued to find new habitats amid these problematic situations.
However, this time, the cruelty towards the Openbills has surpassed everything in the past. Hundreds of baby Openbills have died falling after cutting down two trees in front of Rajshahi Medical College (RAMEC) Hospital. Such cruel incidents took place in the hospital premises.
According to witnesses, they built in front of the hospital. For this purpose, two Arjun trees felled down. The two trees baby Openbills have fallen on the ground.
During the cutting of trees, most of the baby birds fell from the trees and died instantly. Construction workers and locals slaughtered the survivors.
Khairul Islam, a relative of a patient who came from the Charghat Upazila in Rajshahi, said, “more than a hundred baby birds had fallen to the ground. I have witnessed construction workers slaughtering 20-25 babies.”
Many patients’ relatives also picked up some bird babies around noon, after fluttering after falling from the trees. They might save if rescued in time.
It knew that about eight years ago, Openbill birds used to build their nests in the trees inside and around the Rajshahi Central Jail, seeing it as a haven. Thousands of Openbill birds were safe here.
Later, when the construction of the Prisons training academy started in 2019, it cut down many trees. The birds became homeless. However, soon they found the trees in front of the emergency department of the RAMEC hospital as a new shelter. They have to lose their habitat there too. In 2020, the authorities decided to cut the stalks of the hospital trees.
The Openbills did not leave Rajshahi even after losing shelter for the second time. They quickly took shelter in the roadside trees on the east side of the hospital.
During the new construction of the hospital’s boundary by recently demolishing old ones, it cut down approximately 500 trees (on the east side). As a result, the birds have found shelter in front of the hospital. Despite being homeless on multiple occasions, the birds did not flee the city.
