gone.

 This is going to be one of my deepest blog posts, in my opinion. I felt like writing this after I heard of the extinction of the Slender Billed Curlew, a migratory bird. Some people may even feel like laughing at this, because not many mourn a bird's death. But this is not a single death. This is extinction. That bird is gone, just gone from this planet, and there is not even a glimmer of hope left to rescue it. The reason behind its extinction? Habitat loss and hunting.

We feel so terribly bad when somebody we know passes away. Sure, I have never seen the Slender Billed Curlew in my life, but its extinction has affected me as if it were a close friend of mine. Writing this post may not save the lives of the wildlife close to extinction, but I'd like it to spread a little awareness. About how it is time to step up. Seeing wildlife on the road, dead because of roadkill saddens us. Suppose it is a rattlesnake that met its fate on the road. We will feel bad, but the ray of hope will be something like, "thankfully it is not the last rattlesnake alive". But the Curlew was.

It's my first time hearing or finding out about wildlife that went extinct. As far as I know, the pink headed duck and the Himalayan Quail are two birds from India that went extinct. The dodo is also a common example. But all of that was a long time ago. This time, it isn't. 

The Great Indian Bustard: in need of conservation. I found out about the Bugun Liochichla: ~20 individuals in the whole world, all of them in India. These are just two of many, many critically endangered species in the world.

The IUCN Red list, which documents and confirms the status of wildlife has also officially confirmed the Slender Billed Curlew's extinction. Check out their website here: IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and you'll get even more shocking information of the state of the world's wildlife.

Which is why I want to tell you, try your hardest to take some action. May it be a bulbul stuck in a bird net, or an injured owl. Even if it may not be possible for you to rescue it, play your part by calling someone who can. 

Whichever bird it may be, least concern or vulnerable; it is our duty to save it for everything in nature is born with a certain purpose and significance. If that organism is gone, there shall be no one left to fulfill its purpose. So, if we do not want any more extinctions, may they be in the wild or may they be global, we should try our very best to conserve the beautiful wildlife that we are blessed with. Conservation can be done through anything, rescue, rehabilitation, planting trees, documentation, and most importantly, research.

This post is in mourning of the Slender Billed Curlew, who the world will unfortunately only see in photographs. A bird gone from the earth, never to be seen again.

- Yours truly, 

Swara Chandorkar