SAINTLY GUARDIANS

For over 20 years, residents of Mudh village in eastern Ladakh have been protecting the ruddy shelduck that visits their mountains to breed

- RINCHEN ANGMO CHUMIKCHAN LEH, LADAKH

IS a sight any bird enthusiast would consider themselves lucky to behold: A pair of ruddy shelducks, beckoning their young fledglings to follow them to the river.

One adult leads the group, while the other follows. Both have flame-hued feathers and creamy white heads, though the male can be distinguished through a dark ring around its neck. The small, precocial chicks, covered in white and black mottled down, walk in the middle.

This journey occurs in the Mudh valley in Ladakh, from where the ducks go down to the Indus river. The entire journey takes three to six hours, but is sometimes shorter if the fledglings are grown adequately and are able to walk easily. However, it is extremely challenging to witness—just as Cha Tsogspa prefers. For two decades, this group comprising 12 residents from Mudh village, 2 km from the valley, has been keeping an eye on the ruddy shelducks that come to Ladakh, their only breeding site in India, from June to August every year.

“It is on auspicious days that we escort the fledglings from the valley to the Indus river. From there, they cross the river on their own,” explains Thinless Namgyal, vice president of Cha Tsogspa.

Also known as the Brahminy duck or Tadorna ferruginea in scientific lexicon, the ruddy shelduck is found across Europe and Central Asia, migrating to South Asia during the winter months. In the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, the species is classified under “Least Concern”. Cha Tsogspa aims to ensure that this status does not change.