Ummedganj reserve sees no sarus breeding in last 2 years
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KOTA: Ummedganj bird conservation reserve in Rajasthan’s Kota district has not reported breeding by sarus cranes in the last two years, wildlife experts said, blaming it on preying on the birds’ eggs by stray dogs, contracts for fishing in the water body and lack of efforts for conservation of the wetland.
Spread over 209 hectares, Ummedganj wetl and was declared a conservation reserve in 2012 after it was noticed that sarus cranes breed twice a year in the marshy land that also attracts birds from other countries.
“At Ummedganj, sarus cranes breed from February to April and also from July to October; this is a rarity as usually sarus cranes breed only once a year at other wetlands of the country. But there has been no breeding in the last two years,” said Abdul Haneef Zaidi, deputy secretary of the Hadoti Naturalists’ Society, Kota.
The sarus (Grus antigone) is listed under Schedule IV of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, and categorised as ‘vulnerable’ on the IUCN Red List. According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), India, their population is now on the decline, with only 15,000-20,000 in India, a majority of which are in UP. At nearly six feet, the Sarus crane is the tallest flying bird in the world.
Bird watcher Harphool Sharma said sarus cranes had last delivered two eggs at the Ummedganj reserve in 2018, which were attacked by stray dogs. “Last year stray dogs had attacked a sarus crane in which its wings were damaged. It seems sarus cranes have failed to breed in the absence of security to their eggs,” Sharma said.
Zaidi said, “Establishment of watch towers for monitoring, deployment of security staff and conservation work were proposed for the Ummedganj reserve but nothing has been done so far.”
He added, “Till 2011-12, I had recorded presence of around a dozen sarus cranes at Ummedganj. Earlier, the birds were delivering 5-to-6 eggs, which reduced to 2 till a couple of years ago. No breeding has taken place in last 4 breeding seasons in 2 years.”
Zaidi said only a pair of sarus cranes is now left at Ummedganj. “Monitoring; security steps and development work should be taken up at Ummedganj reserve for reviving breeding of sarus cranes.”
Asked about the failure of sarus breeding at Ummedganj reserve, assistant conservator of forest, Kota, Anurag Bhatnagar admitted the reserve lacks security staff. “The forest department had sent a development plan for Ummedganj conservation reserve three years ago. After the budget for development and security of the reserve is received, conservation efforts can be carried out there,” Bhatnagar said.
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