From Bad Omen to Village Pride: How Assam’s Women Saved the Greater Adjutant   

• Standing over 1-and-a-half meters tall, bald, with a massive beak and a strange orange pouch dangling from their necks, the greater adjutant storks (Leptoptilos dubius) are not the prettiest of birds. With their intimidating size, bizarre appearance, and scavenging habits, it is little wonder that these birds, known locally as “hargila,” or bone swallower,” have long been loathed as a bad omen and an unclean disease carrier. When Dr. Purnima Devi Barman began her doctoral research on the greater adjutant at Gauhati University in 2007, she counted just 28 nests in the villages of Dadara and Pacharia in India’s northeastern state of Assam. Wetlands and forests were vanishing, replaced by roads and buildings, pushing the scavenging birds into residential areas. And the villagers, frustrated by the birds’ foul smell and droppings, often cut down their nesting trees. Realizing conservation required changing minds, not just collecting data, Barman decided to target the local women, who rarely had a public voice but managed households where the birds nested. She began by connecting the greater adjutant to familiar rituals, hosting traditional baby showers whenever she found nests with eggs. She marked the breeding season with wedding songs and encouraged women to offer prayers for newly hatched chicks during festivals. Barman also organized socially acceptable activities, such as cooking competitions, to reach women who faced stricter restrictions. In these events, she led an interactive game called the “Web of Life,” helping participants understand how humans and wildlife depend on one another and the greater adjutant’s ecological role in cleaning up carcasses and controlling pests. By 2008, her outreach had grown into a network of about 400 women, dubbed the “hargila army.” They monitored nests, rescued fallen chicks, and worked with officials to safeguard the birds. Through village campaigns, these local women reshaped the stork’s image from a bad omen to a community symbol. Income from traditionally woven textiles featuring hargila motifs further strengthened support, tying conservation to financial independence. Today, more than 200 nests dot the villages of Dadara and Pacharia, with the once-maligned scavenger now celebrated in songs, statues, and prayer halls. The species was also moved from endangered to near threatened status on the IUCN Red List. It was an accomplishment only possible because the effort grew from within, built on trust, shared pride, and practical benefits, turning former critics into protectors. Yesel Kang Copy Editor teen/1773632759/1613367750