In a shocking incident in Assam, a critically endangered Bengal Florican was poached and consumed in the state’s Chirang district. The act came to light after the perpetrators shared photos and videos of the bird being cooked on social media, resulting in the arrest of two persons.
The incident occurred in Khungring village, a settlement near the newly formed Sikna Jauhola National Park along the India-Bhutan border. The area lies close to key biodiversity hotspots, including the Manas National Park landscape, which supports one of the last remaining populations of the Bengal Florican in India.
The Bengal Florican (Houbaropsis bengalensis), one of the world’s rarest bustards, is classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, with a global population estimated at fewer than 1,000 individuals. It receives the highest protection under Schedule I of India’s Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, making it’s poaching a serious offense punishable by imprisonment and heavy fines.
The bird in question was a subadult male. In the photos posted on social media by the perpetrators themselves, a man and a woman could be seen holding the bird, before and after skinning it. However, when activists working on wildlife conservation saw the photo, they identified the bird to be Bengal Florican, known as Ulumora in Assamese. They then shared the images among various groups of conservationists, and alerted the police.
Based on the photographs, the police identified the couple with help of local residents. Authorities arrested two individuals, Bigrai Musahari and Saon Bosumtari. Feathers of the Bengal Florican were recovered from accused Musahari’s residence as evidence.
Wildlife activists quickly flagged the posts, leading to public outrage and calls for immediate intervention. Conservationist Dr. Nilutpal Mahanta emphasized the urgency, stating that strict punishment is essential to deter such crimes against a species on the brink of extinction.
The accused were handed over to the Chirang Forest Division, where a case has been registered under the Wildlife Protection Act. The phone used to upload the photos also has been seized by the police.
Preliminary enquiry revealed that the accused didn’t catch the bird themselves, but they had procured it from someone else in Laopani area for ₹400.