Great Indian Bustards give Nandyal a miss this year too
The forest officer in Andhra Pradesh said that they have been conducting surveys regularly and did not find the migratory bird in the last two years in the State; population of this critically endangered species in other States range from one to six; majo
The Great Indian Bustard (GIB) has not put in its annual appearance this year too at the Rollapadu Wildlife Sanctuary in Nandyal district of Andhra Pradesh and its surrounding areas. Alan Chong Teron, Deputy Director, Atmakur, NSTR (Nagarjunasagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve), said they had been conducting regular surveys to watch for them. “But, in the last couple of years, we have not noticed them. Independent organisations, which work on them, too did not spot any.” In past years, the birds migrate to the area for a brief period.
The GIB, which grows to about a metre in height, to a weight of about 15 kg, is designated as “critically endangered” on the red list of the International
Union for Conservation of Nature, a network of government and civil society organisations working on sustainable development. There are less than 140 GIBs worldwide, says Dr.
Tushna Karkaria, project scientist and veterinarian at the conservation breeding centre of the GIB in Pokhran, Rajasthan. The major population left in the arid grasslands of the Thar desert, with 120 distributed in the Desert National Park and the Pokhran Field Firing Range. Populations in other States range from one to six.
Dr. Karkaria said that in 2018 an agreement was signed between the Ministry of Environment Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC), the Rajasthan Forest Department, and the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) to start a breeding centre for the bird to propagate the native bird, and preserve the remaining population of wild birds through scientific research and management. The International Fund for Houbara Conservation (IFHC), Abu Dhabi, was roped in as a technical partner as they have successfully bred other bustard species.
The scientists said GIBs are slowreproducing, laying just a few eggs, and having almost a yearlong parental care of chicks. The conservation breeding programme started in
2019 by collecting eggs from the wild and artificially hatching them in the Sam Forest Chowki of the Desert National
Park. The first chick hatched on June 21, 2019, and was named Uno. Eight more chicks were hatched that year and were raised and monitored by the team. Since there was no previous record of artificial hatching and chick rearing of the GIB, these techniques were developed from the learnings and protocols of other bustard conservation breeding programmes. Now, 29
GIBs are housed in the breeding centre.
Dr. Karkaria said the conservation breeding programme achieved a major milestone when captivereared birds bred for the first time naturally in 2023.