The tranquility of Jatinga, a picturesque town nestled in the Borail Hills, India, is broken every night by a disturbing event to which scientists find no answer: the mass suicide of hundreds of birds.
This phenomenon has aroused the curiosity of many travelers whoThey come to the place to witness it with their own eyes.
When the suicide of the birds occurs
It invariably occurs between September and November, at least in recent years. When the sun sets, hundreds of birds descend on the town, flying at top speed to crash into buildings and trees. Jatinga, with lush vegetation and abundant fresh water, is a resting place for many migratory birds that attracted nature lovers from the country, eager to observe herons, ducks and drongos up close.
For many years and in the face of such a strange event, people have believed that this mass suicide of the birds occurred because of the evil spirits that live in the skies and are responsible for knocking down the birds or forcing them to commit suicide.
The macabre spectacle
Today those who come to Jatinga do so for a more macabre reason: they want to see the terrible suicide scene live, if it can be called that. Ornithologists don't think that's what it is. Animals are attracted to light and rush violently against it, with the consequences that we already know ... but the worst is not this. The worst thing in my opinion is that instead of looking for solutions so that the birds stop committing suicide, it is considered a tourist attraction since people arrive in Jatinga attracted by the morbid spectacle.
In fact, the real mystery is knowing why these birds fly after sunset, something really anomalous and puzzling for scholars, since all these birds are diurnal. By definition, all of them are sound asleep at night, as is the case on the rest of the planet. It is not known exactly why it can happen (although there are theories that we will see later), but from my point of view it would be beneficial to try to find the explanation to put an end to this, since the birds if they commit suicide or collide with the trees and buildings to death, they won't all go crazy at the same time!
It is a phenomenon that has been going on for hundreds of years
Avian harakiri, as the locals call it, is widely documented in the history of the region. The local tribes already observed the phenomenon a hundred years ago, interpreting it sometimes as a curse and other times as a divine gift, taking the opportunity to collect the birds from the ground and consume their meat later.
But despite the studies carried out, an explanation remains to be found. Some specialists attribute the phenomenon to the electromagnetic forces in this area, although there is no conclusive evidence. While it arrives, Jatinga continues to receive tourists every year. Another form of seasonal migration, well looked at.
Why do birds commit suicide?
There are scientific studies and experiments that conclude that birds are generally disoriented by monsoon fog. So they are attracted to the lights of the town and when they fly towards them they cannot avoid hitting the walls and the trees in their descent. Some birds are killed, while others are seriously injured, making them easy prey for the villagers who rush to capture. These birds, stunned by injuries and blows, put up no resistance when the villagers mercilessly attack them with catapults or bamboo poles until they are permanently killed.
So if this is the explanation for why birds die en masse between September and November due to fog, it would be good for scientists to join forces to find a solution and prevent birds from dying unnecessarily.
What the studies say
Studies show that birds come to the area only from the North and that the victims are not long-distance migrating birds. 44 species have been identified as “suicidal” and most of these birds come from nearby valleys and slopes of the mountains. hills.
It appears that most suicide birds lose their natural habitats due to the typical flooding between September and November during the monsoon season. For this reason they are forced to emigrate to other places and Jatinga is on their migratory route. But what is not clear is why birds fly at night when they are diurnal, or why they are trapped in the same way in the same place year after year.
It's not really a suicide
But the reality is that it is not a suicide, but calling it that is "better" to attract the claim of tourists who want to see this macabre show live. The reality is that as I have mentioned before, birds are attracted by light and fly towards any object that has a light source seeking orientation.. Although this phenomenon still puzzles bird specialists.
Now Jatinga is famous
Perhaps without this phenomenon occurring in this town, it is possible that right now you did not know where it is. Therefore, the inhabitants of the city do not see it as something negative at all, since the suicide of the birds has captured the attention of people who love wildlife, animals and other people ... so Jatinga has made famous.
Birds are solely responsible for the increase in tourism in these months since when they occur the inhabitants collect the birds to eat them. Villagers deliberately change the lights and use flashlights to attract and capture the birds every year. So it is the villagers themselves who, taking advantage of the disorientation of the birds, disorient them even more so that they kill themselves with blows and thus capture them when they are weak ... instead of looking for a solution and helping these animals to live a quiet life. with the other birds of its species.
In addition, to further promote tourism, the local authorities have created a festival around the theme of bird suicide ... called "Festival de Jatinga". The first edition was in 2010, but it is not easy to reach this town since the closest airport to the town is in the city of Guwahati (350 km from the town).