Hargila Army Or Stork Army

• Hargila: The Great Adjutant Stork is a 19-minute film directed by An Assam IPS officer, Partha Sarathi Mahanta. It received a Special Mention at the 70th National Film Awards in 2022.
• He dedicated his national award to the ‘Hargila Army’, a group of women led by conservationist Purnima Devi Barman, who played a crucial role in saving endangered birds from extinction.
• Under Barman’s leadership to protect the stork, women from Dadara Parasia village near Guwahati organised.
• The documentary has been showcased at nine international film festivals.
• Purnima Devi Barman has received global accolades, including the United Nations Champion of the Earth Award and two Green Oscars from the Whitley Fund for Nature.
• Greater Adjutant Stork:
• The greater adjutant stork inhabits the Brahmaputra valley of Assam, primarily in Guwahati, Morigaon, and Nagaon districts.
• Previously classified as endangered, it is now listed as near threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
• Standing nearly five feet tall, they are often seen at garbage dumping sites near the Deepor Beel Wildlife Sanctuary.
• Their breeding season is from October to February, and they primarily feed on fish, frogs, reptiles, birds, and carrion.
• The storks rely on wetlands for foraging and tall trees for nesting, but face habitat loss due to encroachment and drainage projects.
• Although legally protected, they are sometimes driven away due to the strong odour of their droppings and their feeding habits.

Dig Deeper: Read about the Vulture Count Project of WWF-India and Bird Count India.