Female Great Indian Bustard, one of estimated 7, dies in Kutch

Forest officers of Kutch circle said that the bird died while foraging near Bhanada, around 15 km south of the GIB Sanctuary located near Naliya, the headquarters of Nakhatrana taluka of Kutch district.

By: Express News Service | Rajkot | Published: February 27, 2020 1:54:02 am

Two days after the 13th Conference of Parties to the Convention on Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (COP13 CMS), a global body functioning under the aegis of the United Nations, included the Great Indian Bustard (GIB) on its Appendix-I and called for concerted action for its conservation, a female GIB died in Kutch on Tuesday after a lizard was stuck in its throat.

Unofficial estimates suggest that with Tuesday’s death, the number of GIB individuals has plunged to just six GIBs in Kutch, all of them females. As many as 25 birds were counted during the great Indian bustard census conducted in Gujarat in 2016.

Forest officers of Kutch circle said that the bird died while foraging near Bhanada, around 15 km south of the GIB Sanctuary located near Naliya, the headquarters of Nakhatrana taluka of Kutch district. The area falls in the jurisdiction of Kutch (west) forest division.

“This is an extremely rare phenomenon. Prima facie, the reptile tried to escape after being preyed on by the bird and in the process, choked the trachea of the bird,” said Tushar Patel, Assistant Conservator of Forests, Kutch (West).

With this, the number of GIBs in Kutch has declined further. “One of our watchmen saw the bird exhibiting unusual behavior. The bird sat awkwardly for a rather long time. The watchman tried to check on the bird but when he reached the spot, it had died. We do not have present population estimation of the birds, but the incident means one bird less” the CCF said.

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Supreme Court steps in to save two endangered bird species

February 19, 2020 8:52 am

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday stepped in to save two endangered bird species — Great Indian Bustard and Lesser Florican — by directing the Rajasthan government to chalk out a time frame to remove overhead high-voltage power lines and lay them underground.

A bench headed by Chief Justice SA Bobde and comprising Justices BR Gavai and Surya Kant observed that the two species were vulnerable to fatal collision with overhead power lines.

The Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) echoed the concern and insisted that power lines would have to be laid underground to save the birds.

The Court then asked the Rajasthan government’s counsel to obtain instructions from the authorities concerned on shifting overhead lines below the ground within two weeks.

The top Court observed that the State could go for underground cables in agreements with private companies.

The Court observed that overhead power lines obstruct the flight of the Great Indian Bustard, a larger bird, and as a consequence its movement was restricted.

The Chief Justice said: “One of the solutions suggested to avoid collision of birds with overhead wires is these be laid underground.”

For the other bird species, the top Court reckoned it faced difficulties due to power generation plants and queried the State if it is facing any issues so that the court could issue specific directions.

Additional Solicitor General ANS Nadkarni, representing the MoEF, contended that a team of ministry officials and other wildlife experts had visited Jaisalmer in Rajasthan. Nadkarni said after considering all aspects, the only solution available is to take the cables underground.

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Great Indian Bustard nearing extinction due to high voltage power lines, says govt

The GIB population has been reduced by 75 per cent in the last 30 years, said the WII report which has compiled various studies conducted by researchers across the country.

By: PTI

July 28, 2019 4:51:01 PM

The critically endangered Great Indian Bustard(GIB) is nearing extinction due to collision with high voltage power lines that criss-cross their flying path, according to a report by the Ministry of Environment. The report, which has been prepared by the Wildlife Institute of India(WII), a statutory body under the ministry, said only 150 GIBs are left, with the maximum number in Jaisalmer. They are dying at the rate of 15 per cent annually due to collision with high voltage power lines.

The GIB population has been reduced by 75 per cent in the last 30 years, said the WII report which has compiled various studies conducted by researchers across the country. “Mortality of adult GIBs is high due to collision with power lines that criss-cross their flying path. All bustards are prone to collision due to their poor frontal vision and inability to see the power lines from a distance,” it said.

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R''than: Two Great Indian Bustard chicks hatched through artificial incubation

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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After antelopes, the Great Indian Bustard's survival is threatened by dogs

Press Trust of India  |  Jodhpur Last Updated at March 19, 2019 10:35 IST

After antelopes, dogs have emerged as a major threat to the endangered Great Indian Bustard, inspite of conservation and breeding projects underway in the state to stop the bird, one of the heaviest flying birds, from being extinct.

According to wildlife enthusiasts, the bird is falling prey to stray dogs in desert areas of Jaisalmer, where the number of the canines has seen a spurt.

"These dogs have emerged as a major threat to conservation efforts. They kill the birds and even destroy their eggs," said Radheshyam Pemani, a wildlife enthusiast from Pokhran.

He said dogs routinely attack the birds in evening, when they come out to feed.

The weight of the bird which can be up to 15kg proves fatal for it when dogs attack. If the bird is alert, it takes a flight away from dogs but a delay weakens its chances of survival.

Until 1980s, up to 2000 Great Indian Bustards could be found in western India, reports say. But due to rampant poaching and dwindling grasslands, their population declined rapidly.

In 2011, the International Union for Conservation of Nature categorised the bird as "critically endangered".

A petition is being heard in the Rajasthan High Court for the safety and conservation of the endangered bustard, with a focus on identification and elimination of the threats to its life.

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'Extinct' birds to fly from new habitat

Syed Akbar | TNN | Updated: Jan 25, 2017, 09.17 AM IST

Centre accords priority to Jerdon's Courser and Great Indian Bustard, critically endangered birds of Andhra Pradesh in National Wildlife Action Plan 2017-31.

An alternative habitat for these birds will be identified and developed to save these birds from extinction.

HYDERABAD: Jerdon's Courser and Great Indian Bustard, the critically endangered birds of Andhra Pradesh, got a new 'lease of life' with the Centre according priority to these avian species in National Wildlife Action Plan 2017-31. The birds were earlier included in the five-year species recovery plan, which ended with a whimper last year.

Now, an alternative habitat for these birds will be identified and developed in the next four years to save these birds from extinction.

Jerdon's Courser is endemic to Andhra Pradesh and thrives only in Lankamalleswara Wildlife Sanctuary in Kadapa district.Only a handful of Jerdon's Coursers are believed to be alive, though the bird was last seen a decade ago. Incidentally, the species became `extinct' and was `rediscovered' twice in last 180 years. It went extinct in 1846 and 1900, but sighted in 1986. The place of its `reappearance' in Kadapa has been declared a wildlife sanctuary.

The Great Indian Bustard is also critically endangered and lives in six states in India, including Andhra Pradesh. Only 300 birds are estimated to exist in the world. Number of birds in its exclusive sanctuary, Rollapadu in Kurnool district, has seen a sharp dip, according to researcher Mohammed Ghouse of Osmania College in Kurnool. Telangana or any other south Indian state does not have this bird. Centre's latest wildlife action plan calls for "safeguarding genetically pure populations from future genetic contamination". It also lays emphasis on identification of "suitable alternative homes for species with single isolated populations such as Jerdon's Courser". The Centre proposes to create alternative habitat for this rare bird by 2021. The task has been entrusted to AP forest department. The Union ministry of environment, forests and climate change will supervise the action plan.Technical support will be taken from scientific and research institutions to achieve the goal. 

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The Poor Bustard! Court Order Protecting Endangered Bird Flouted

Manon Verchot

Yesterday, 12:27 pm

Two new windmills have popped up near Desert National Park despite a court order for construction to stop.

The turbines, built not far from Jaisalmer, are in the flight path of the Great Indian Bustard, a critically endangered species with around 200 individuals left. Construction was supposed to be halted until an Eco-Sensitive Zone was demarcated.

The Great Indian Bustard was almost poached to extinction over the past four decades. Though the birds are still hunted for sport in Pakistan, a hunting ban in India has managed to protect 140 bustards in Rajasthan.

The government set up a Rs 12 crore project to save the bustard, which they launched in 2015. Late last year, 11 chicks successfully hatched in Dessert National Park, bringing the number up to 151.

But the new windmills threaten to undo this progress. Conservation activists say the bustards could be killed by the windmill blades, and that the noise made by these mills disturbs the birds. 

 

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‘India will lose all Great Indian Bustards by 2020’

Manka Behl | Updated: Oct 2, 2016, 12.34 AM IST

Nagpur: Bikram Grewal spent over five years to come up with a book weighing about four kilograms, presenting some 1300 odd species of birds found in India and neighbouring nations. But the conservationist fears for his avian friends, many of whom are facing extinction in our country.

When it comes to bird conservation, Grewal feels nothing has changed for the good and that all bird species are endangered. “We are losing everywhere, population of common urban birds, migratory birds and rare birds have only witnessed a decline in India,” says the eminent birdwatcher. Without beating around the bush, he blames complete lack of political will. “We don’t need high-level science to save birds. Just had to keep their habitat sacrosanct but we couldn’t.”

This is exactly what happened with the Great Indian Bustard (GIB), he says. “There are hardly 50 of them left in the entire country. 90% of the species are in Rajasthan, where its habitat is being drastically destroyed. By 2020, GIBs will be extinct,” adds Grewal. Though the situation is critical now, he adds that a lot can still be done to save the remaining population of the bird. “When villages can be relocated to protect tigers, similar efforts can also be taken for prominent bird habitats,” he says.

Is bird conservation being neglected amid tiger-centric conservation initiatives? “It has always been like this. There are hardly one or two bird sanctuaries in India. Laws exist but afforestation continues to take place on a large scale, taking away bird habitats. Conservation is better in Bhutan and Sri Lanka. Here, funds are never allotted to birds,” Grewal says.

Bird population in urban areas is becoming homeless for the same reason. The birdwatcher says, “People keep saying we don’t see much of hornbills. But we are rapidly cutting tall and big trees which home their nests. We are rapidly losing parks, gardens and green cover. There will soon come a time when we will spot birds only near army cantonment areas having some trees.”

Decline in the numbers of migratory birds is again bad news. “Our rivers are choked, some have dried out and some have become toxic. This is why not many migratory birds are seen today, a sign of an unhealthy biodiversity,” he says.

Dismal research on birds and no follow-ups of whatever little has been done are also enemies of our winged friends. “After discovering that widespread use of diclofenac was linked to death of vultures, it took eight years to ban the deadly drug. We lost 50% vultures in one year. So even if the numbers are going up now, the rise is very slow,” says Grewal. He adds that scientific studies and surveys are needed along with activities like birdwatching to shift the focus on conserving birds. 

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