It has been long due, but a bustard hatchery centre has finally come up in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. And now, the scientists, including a team of experts from Abu Dhabi, are desperately searching for bustard eggs to pull back the world’s most threatened bird from extinction. The Great Indian Bustard was listed as a Critically Endangered […]
Gujarat Fears It Has Lost Its Only Male Great Indian Bustard
In December 2018 the state of Gujarat reported that its lone male Great Indian Bustard was missing. It was a young adult that the officials believed had flown to neighbouring Rajasthan and might return soon. Now six months later, the bird has still not been traced, and as chances of it returning to the state […]
The Perils Of Being A Great Indian Bustard
In the 1970s, Arab royalties would often come to India for falconry, a sport that involved shooting of birds like the Great Indian Bustard, commonly found then in Western Rajasthan. It is believed that the Indian government extended this invitation to the Arabs, as a diplomatic gesture but it came to an abrupt end when […]
Desired By The Dunes
“Sukhpali, a thin 30-year old with a long, luscious braid, walks briskly into an arid expanse. Racing on top a rocky mound, she watches over what shimmers like infinite gold – The Great Indian Desert in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan…” Sukhpali was the first female guard to be recruited on the field in the Sudasari range of Desert National Park (DNP) in […]
Great Indian Bustard Numbers Rising in Rajasthan
Quick Notes The number of Great Indian Bustards in Rajasthan has gone up from 11 to 31. The bird is one of the rarest in the world and is marked Critically Endangered by IUCN. It is currently found in only 6 Indian states of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. The number […]
Don’t Be Extinct Yet, The Bustard Breeding Centre Is Coming Soon
Since 2013 there have been innumerable proposals of starting a captive breeding centre for the Great Indian Bustard – a bird on the verge of extinction. While the breeding programme is yet to take off, the bird might just become the first species to vanish caught in inter-state politics and red tapism. Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, […]
Desert National Park Gets App For Tracking Wildlife
The Desert National Park (DNP) in Rajasthan has become the first in the state to use an android-based software for tracking and patrolling the activities of frontline staff. The field staff make use of this software to make observations on important information while patrolling. This is transmitted in real time to the authorities through a […]
In A First, Scientists Track A Great Indian Bustard’s Over 7000 km Flight
For the first time in India, the critically endangered Great Indian Bustard has been tracked for a distance of 7774 km using satellite telemetry. This tracking has provided information about the bird such as its breeding pattern, feeding behavior and preferred habitat. With only 300 of the birds left in the wild, this insight would […]
A Newborn Hope for One of the Rarest Bird in the World
There is good news for Great Indian Bustard fans. A hatchling was recently seen in the Desert National Park of Rajasthan, after relentless efforts were made in the last few years to increase the population of this critically endangered bird. There are just 200 Great Indian Bustards surviving in India today with most of their […]
IUCN Report Hastens Plans for a Breeding Centre for Great Indian Bustard
Serious conservation plans seem to have finally fallen in place for the Great Indian Bustard with the sanctioning of a breeding centre in Gujarat by the central government. The land identified by the state government for the first breeding centre is in Kutch and in close proximity to the Great Indian Bustard Sanctuary. Image via […]
Critically Endangered Great Indian Bustard gets a Survival Chance
Often, conservation issues surrounding the more recognisable fauna in the world such as lions and tigers receive unprecedented attention, whereas other uncommon species go comparatively unnoticed. However a recent initiative by the Central and the State Governments of India to set up a Conservation and Breeding centre for the Great Indian Bustard in Kutch spells […]