08 JULY
2019 Last Updated at 7:26 PM | SOURCE: PTI
Jodhpur,
Jul 8 In what could prove to be a major breakthrough in conservation of the
critically endangered Great Indian Bustard, two chicks have been hatched
through artificial incubation at the Desert National Park here.
Six eggs
had been collected for artificial hatching.
One chick
was born on June 21 and the other was born on July 6. Both are healthy and
being monitored very closely by a team of experts, officials said.
"This
success would lay the foundation for captive breeding in India for this huge
bird and set a precedent for others," said a veterinarian associated with
project, Sharavan Singh.
Experts
from Abu Dhabi have been taking care of the chicks round the clock.
A
wildlife expert associated with Great Indian Bustard conservation efforts,
Sumit Dukia, said both the chicks are from same family so there was no doubt
about their survival.
"We
look forward to successful hatching of the remaining eggs. It would be a huge
success in the direction of conservation of this endangered bird," he
said.
The
experts feel that given the persistently hostile conditions of their habitat,
artificial incubation is the only way to protect and help increase the
population of this bird.
According
to the experts, high-tension electric cables have claimed the lives of six
Great Indian Bustards in the past two years.
Dukia
said the local community will have to be sensitised and educated so that it can
become the first guardian of this bird which is on the verge of extinction.
The
Rajasthan High Court is also hearing a petition for the safety and conservation
of the bird, with a focus on identification and elimination of the threats it
faces and a project for its conservation through breeding. CORR DIV DIV
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