JATINGA — A Sanctuary for Suicide by Birds
SEASON 1 EP 2 | #jatinga #mysteriesoftheworld
Mother Nature harbours some strange and eerie mysteries. These are beyond one’s understanding. Welcome to Jatinga –a small tribal hamlet in the state of Assam in North East India. So what is so different about this place? Every year, hundreds of birds come here to commit suicide. Yes!! SUICIDE!!
This phenomenon has intrigued both scientists and ornithologists alike. With the onset of the monsoons, the village prepares for this spectacular bird event. It is just a small strip of jungle that has been shrouded as the venue of this mystery, almost as uncanny and sinister as the Bermuda Triangle. Even world class ornithologists like Salim Ali have failed to give a scientific reason for this occurrence.
These deaths are not just eerie in nature, but also occur annually as expected, and open up many more unsolved mysteries. The lush vibrant village of Jatinga is located 330 kilometres south of the bustling capital city of Guwahati and is populated by 2500 Khasi Bar tribal people and a few Assamese. The mass suicide event normally occurs on dark moonless nights. Just a few hours before it starts, the local birds show restless and disturbed activities, and between 6pm and 9:30 pm, the entire drama unfolds. Many migratory bird species and also local endemic ones, dive in groups to their death.
At first, the simple villagers thought that the supernatural elements were angry with them and a curse had been cast on the hamlet. Many rituals and prayers were offered, but they did not help at all. It was believed that the villages lured the birds to fly low on the moonless night by distracting them with lights placed on poles outside their houses. The villagers would hunt them down and kill them believing that the birds were hideous and dangerous spirits flying around. However, this seems just a mere possibility and cannot explain the large numbers of deaths. The entire death episodes happen only over a small area of 1500 metres by 200 metres.
The strange death of birds has now attracted global attention. Modern theories have now emerged to explain the occurrence. First that a combination of high altitude, high winds and fog leads to the disorientation of the birds who lose their flying tracks. The bright lights at the village become their guide to stabilize their flights and they fly low, get hit by obstacles and die.
Another theory involves the magnetic qualities the ground water in this area has, that causes disorientation in the birds. Yet another thought is the murmuration of birds grouping together in flight — a method adapted by migratory birds to have safety against predators. By sticking together in groups, the birds are safe from falcons and hawks who find it difficult to target a single bird in a hypnotizing flock of thousands. This symbol of unity has also caused mass deaths in some other countries like Mexico and New South Wales, and closer to home, in Mizoram. Recently on 7th February, 2022, cameras in Mexico captured a bizarre scene with hundreds of birds falling from the sky and dropping dead.
Magical Realism has been talked off with fish and toads falling from the skies, but this case of suicide by the birds is too real. Remember the famous film by Alfred Hitchcock, Birds? Even today one is haunted by that scary depiction which is today, actually a reality in many countries. Power grid disturbances, electromagnetic radiation, frequency warfare, air pollution, etc. have also been blamed. Maybe the birds inhaled some toxic gases. Various conspiracy theories are also floating around.
In 2020, two hundred starlings were found dead on a road in Northern Wales. Their post mortem showed severe internal trauma and it was concluded that the birds had travelled the wrong way, had flown too low trying to escape predators and in the process, struck either the ground or hit obstacles in their paths and had died. Even aliens were suspected to have flushed the birds down from the sky!
Such unusual and mysterious happenings can and have been manipulated to increase in the inflow of tourists to that area and increase the State revenues. However, wildlife experts and others are educating villagers to abstain from hitting down the birds. Also, the streetlights that distract and disorient them are requested to be put off, since, otherwise, the bird species will dwindle and die. Today, Jatinga has a bird-watching centre situated nine kilometres from Haflong
The Jatinga Mass suicides are not confined to a single species. The Tiger Bittern, Black Bittern, Little Egrets, Pond Herons, Indian Pitta and kingfishers are also affected in this race for death, with many birds being mostly juveniles. Three questions are still intriguing:
- What is the significance of this small strip of the jungle where this unnatural event occurs?
Why does this occur only during monsoons, specifically between 6 pm and 9:30 pm?
- Why are these bird suicides few and far apart and not a common occurrence all over the world?
Theories are many, but not a single valid proof has come forward to explain the mystery. Birds will still fly low, birds will still die, and mankind will continue to only speculate. JATINGA will probably continue to remain a mystery forever.
