‘Setubondhon’ , an initiative of youths to save birds in Nilphamari

NILPHAMARI (Syedpur): A view of bird's nest set by local youths in Nilphamari Upazila.
NILPHAMARI (Syedpur): A view of bird's nest set by local youths in Nilphamari Upazila.
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Syedpur(Nilphamari) Correspondent :
 “Let’s become friends of birds and save the green earth,” with this slogan, a group of youths in Syedpur upazila of the district have initiated an outstanding effort to make secured habitat for birds in order to protect them from being extinction and saving the environment as well.
They formed a voluntary organisation with Bangla name ‘Setubondhon’ to indicate a bridge between humane and birds which they doing by managing cost from own pockets.
Visiting the village on Monday, it was found that ‘Setubandhan’ members set up hundreds of earthen pitchers in slightly tilted position with straw or dried up leaves inside on tree branches beside roads, bank of ponds, around cultivable land, house yards and so on. They do it to arrange birds ready nests for making their safe habitat for breeding, as this endangered wildlife don’t find congenial situation to do so in absence of mother trees.
In some of those pitchers, birds in pairs have started living like a family as their breeding season on and while they peep through narrow mouths of pitchers create a sense of joy.
They also arrange house yard meeting to create awareness among people for birds and hang signboards elsewhere with message, “Let’s become friends of birds and save the beautiful earth,”
The pioneer of the excellent effort, a local youth Md. AlamgirHossain who has an orchard in the village explained how he became interested to initiate his noble mission for birds.
He said, “I noticed in my orchard that many birds look for mother trees to make nests on them but fail to get as people felled them for getting quick profit without considering negative impact on environment.”
People now plant foreign variety woody trees which standing upright seldom having branches and bushy tops unsuitable for making nests for local birds, he said.
“By this time, many spices of birds have disappeared though they adorn nature and play important role in agriculture by eating up harmful insects,” he told further.
Alamgir talked to his friends like Rafiquel, Jahangir, Kakon, Nafiz, Sirajul, Rifat, KutubUddinAlo, Twinkle and others for doing something for the birds who unanimously accepted his proposal.
Last year they experimentally set up some earthen pitchers on some trees in Alamgir’s orchard and found that birds’ felt interest for the effort.
Being inspired, they decided to launch a bigger program this season by setting up pitchers on hundreds of trees in the entire village for making it as if a birds’ sanctuary.
Rafiqul, a dedicated member of ‘Setubandhan’said that by this time they had set up more than five thousand pitchers on trees arranging fund from own subscription in which Alamgir contributed the major share and birds like shalikh, Doel, owls, doves liked those.
Chairman of concerned Khatamadhupur Union Parishad Jewel Ahmed said that at first the villagers took the local youths’ effort as meaningless but now they take care of the pitchers and birds’ families as they could realize their importance in their lives.
Cross section of people and organization officials like NGO Alorpoth Samajunnayan Sangstha, upazila asst. agriculture officer, journalists and others visited the village
Head of Zoology Department in Nilphamari Govt. College Prof ShahebulAlam said that saving endangered wildlife like birds is a global concern. Innovative effort of village youths’ should be made sustaining by providing them with logistic support by govt. and NGOs.
Md. AmjadHossain Sarker, Mayor of Syedpur municipality said that such effort would play significant role to protect environment and increase food production, which should be patronized.
ShahjalalKhandaker, District Livestock Officer of Nilphamari said, it’s a noble initiative to protecting birds from being extinction and saving the environment as well.
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