Bustard Breeding Centre in Rajasthan

The Rajasthan government soon will set up a captive breeding centre for the great Indian bustard in order to boost the wild population of the country’s most critically endangered bird. This decision was finalized at a meeting comprising of experts from the forest department, Wild Institute of India (WII) and World Wildlife Fund (WWF). With the recommendation of WI and WWF, it has been decided that the breeding centre will be set up at Sorsan in Kota district, and at Nokh in Jaisalmer.

All about the Great Indian Bustard-

• The Great Indian Bustard (GIB) is referred as the State bird of Rajasthan and the State has also been running a conservation programme since 2012. The remaining population of the bird which is about 90 in Rajasthan accounts for 95% of the total world population.
• These birds have been listed as ‘critically endangered’ under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
• According to the 2014 Census report, from more than 1000 decades back, the number of GIB locally known as ‘Godawan’ has dropped to 745 in the year 1978, and then to 600 in the year 2001, then 300 in 2008 and has fallen to 125 in the year 2013.
• The main reasons for the decrease in the number of GIB are destruction of its habitat due to frequent change of land from grassland to farmland, lack of policy to protect ‘lekking’ and nesting sites, lack of awareness and support from local communities and the most prime reason of hunting.

Key points about this development-

• It will be the country’s first initiative aimed at saving the bird, which is the State bird of Rajasthan.
• The Union Environment and the Forest Ministry has sanctioned ₹85 crore to facilitate the two centres and has authorised the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) to be its scientific arm.
• In order to provide a better living condition to the species, the state government has planned to develop additional closures and grasslands, and predator-proof fencing in breeding areas.
• A memorandum of understanding will be signed between the Union government, WII and the State government for purpose of establishing the discussed two facilities. The tasks under the MoU will include sourcing of eggs, transportation, rearing up of chicks and reintroduction in the wild with certain training inputs to young birds.
• The breeding centre is to be established at Sorsan since it has comparatively moist habitat. The region has better rainfall, and moreover it was home to the bustards until two decades ago.

It has been observed that a female bustard, which lays a single egg in a season, is prone to lay in second time as well. Therefore , if the scientific methods succeed in enabling these birds to lay more eggs once the earlier ones are picked up to be transported to the hatchery, then it is possible to get five to eight eggs per female for the next 10 years.