CHANDIGARH – In a significant initiative to mark the 350th martyrdom day of Guru Tegh Bahadur, the NGO EcoSikh, in collaboration with the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), has announced plans to revive and rehabilitate the northern goshawk, the official state bird of Punjab. The Punjab state bird revival effort is a key conservation project.
Dr. Rajwant Singh, global president of EcoSikh, expressed concern over the bird’s status. “It is unfortunate that this important symbol of the great Guru and Punjab’s official state bird has now vanished from the state’s skies due to habitat loss, illegal trade and pollutants,” he said. Dr. Singh added that the NGO is in talks to set up a breeding center for the “Baaj” and another falcon breed, “Shaheen Baaj,” at Chhatbir Zoo.
The state government had declared the northern goshawk as the state bird in 2015, correcting an earlier notification from 1989. Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Dharminder Sharma welcomed the proposal, stating, “Whenever any such proposal comes, we forward it to the state government. We are inclined to revive the bird.”
This is not the first attempt to revive the falcon population. In July 2011, the Forest Department had drafted a proposal to exchange creatures with the Lahore Zoo, but the plan failed to materialize due to diplomatic issues. This new initiative by EcoSikh and BNHS aims to succeed where previous efforts have faltered, offering new hope for the preservation of this iconic bird.