Good News: The ‘Stork Sisters’ Saving a Species on the Brink | Proof That Change Is Possible

Good News: The ‘Stork Sisters’ Saving a Species on the Brink | Proof That Change Is Possible

Why this story matters: This piece offers a constructive counterpoint to the constant stream of negative news. Quick summary: This story highlights recent developments related to birds, showing how constructive action can lead to meaningful results. At a landfill on Majuli, which is said by many to be the world’s largest riverine island, a cluster of ungainly birds peck at garbage. Here, on the river Brahmaputra in the northeast Indian state of Assam, these animals stand over four and a half feet tall, bald and with a strange orange pouch on their necks. And while it’s fair to say they would probably never win an avian beauty contest, the greater adjutant storks ( Leptoptilos dubius ) play a crucial role in Assam’s wetlands by consuming decaying organic matter, helping in nutrient recycling and promoting ecosystem health. She’s right. Few birds are as celebrated or as integrated into Assamese life today as the greater adjutant stork. It wasn’t always this way. Once a thriving species, they us…