KADAPA: A massive search is now on in the Sri Lankamalleswara wildlife sanctuary in Kadapa district for the 'missing' bird - Jerdon's Courser - that was last seen six years ago. And on the trail of this elusive bird are at least seven government and international conservation agencies. The wildlife sanctuary has been kept under round-the-clock surveillance with 200 cameras and radio-telemetry equipment to capture the bird's image when it makes an appearance.
This is perhaps the first time that such a concerted search, backed by the latest scientific equipment including voice recorders and infrared cameras, has been undertaken in the country to search for a bird. What makes Jerdon's Courser (Rhinoptilus bitorquantus) so prized a bird species is its rarity, elusiveness and the perennial threat of its extinction. It is endemic to Andhra Pradesh and has not been found anywhere else in the world.
With the intensive search so far yielding little result, forest officials and naturalists have decided to extend the operation to areas beyond the boundaries of Sri Lankamalleswara wildlife sanctuary. Specialist teams will now fan out to places where the bird was previously sighted, including Anantapur, Nellore and Bhadrachalam.
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