Women-led army revives India's bone-swallower stork
In Assam, the endangered greater adjutant stork (hargila)—nicknamed the bone-swallower—has been saved from a bad omen reputation by biologist Purnima Devi Barman and a growing all-women conservation group called the Hargila Army. Beginning in 2007 after a kadamba tree was felled, tens of thousands of women across 47 villages organized to protect nesting sites, promote the birds at cultural events, and create livelihoods through sewing and selling hargila-themed goods. The stork population in Assam has risen to about 1,800 from roughly 450 in 2007, though habitat loss and private land ownership remain threats. Barman was named Time magazine's 2025 Woman of the Year for this grassroots conservation effort.
