In the 1980s, the number of this bird in 11 states was between 1,500 and 2,000. Today, its number has shrunk to 150 and is found only in Rajasthan.
The bird, called ‘Son Chiriya’ in Madhya Pradesh and ‘Great Indian Bustard’ in English, is known as ‘Godawan’ in Rajasthan and ‘Maldhok’ in Maharashtra. The bird looks like an ostrich. The body of the Great Indian Bustard is oval-shaped, legs are long, it weighs from 10 to 15 kg, and its height is about one metre.
Despite weighing heavy, the Great Indian Bustard can easily fly. It is, however, not as agile as the other birds are. The bird is omnivorous. Besides wheat, millet, Indian jujube (Ber), it consumes various insects, snakes, scorpions and lizards.
Once this bird was found in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka and in Tamil Nadu. Now, it is confined to Rajasthan. Besides, it is found in the Cholistan area in Pakistan, which is adjacent to Rajasthan. In Cholistan, this bird is still being killed for flesh.
In the 1980s, the number of this bird in 11 states was between 1,500 and 2,000. At present, its number has shrunk to 150. Once, ‘Son Chiriya’ was about to get the status of a national bird but, now, it is struggling for survival.
Why is it facing extinction?
Shrinking of grassland, rising number of electricity wires and its wanton killing have brought this beautiful creature to the verge of extinction. Grassland is the natural habitat of the Great Indian Bustard. It is because of lack of water that the grassland is shrinking. Ergo, the bird is losing its natural habitat.
The Great Indian Bustard is counted as one of the largest and weightiest birds in the world. Its weight is a big problem, though. Apart from that, the bird cannot see straight ahead. It can sight anything from the side. For that reason, when it finds an electric wire, it cannot move to the other side. As a result, it is caught in the maze of wire and loses its life. On the other hand, the small birds can easily sight an electric wire and duck it.
To deal with this problem, scientists have come up with a plan. They have installed the bird diverters on the electric wires in Jaisalmer. The device run by solar energy has been hung from the wire. At night, light emerges from this device as do the flash lights installed on road dividers. This helps the Great Indian Bustards sight the electric wires and change their ways. So, the chances of their getting caught in the electric wires have become slim. In several foreign countries, this device is used to save the birds.
According to bird watchers, the bird diverter may not have stopped the death of the Great Indian Bustards, but it has reduced their death from electric shock by 50-80%.
Another reason for its extinction is that it lays only one egg a year. The bird makes its nest on the ground. Therefore, dogs and other animals consume 50 percent of its eggs.
Thankfully, the Great Indian Bustard is the state bird of Rajasthan, and its hunting is totally banned in India. However, it is still mindlessly killed in Pakistan for flesh.
Efforts to save Great Indian Bustard
Efforts are being made to protect this comely bird from extinction. A large number of national and international organisations that work towards protecting the environment, nature, wildlife and the rare birds have begun to work for saving the Great Indian Bustard. The World Conservation Congress (WCC) of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has passed a resolution to preserve this bird.
In a recent online seminar at Marseille in France, the Corbett Foundation of India put forward a proposal for protecting the Great Indian Bustard. The organisations, like Aryanak, Bombay Natural History Society, Gujarat Ecology Society, Wildlife Conservation Trust, Wildlife Protection Society of India supported the proposal.
Aside from that, the proposal had the backing from the international organisations, like the Bird Life International (UK) and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (UK).
In 2021, IUCN included the Great Indian Bustard in the list of critically endangered birds. To save this bird from extinction, the Rajasthan government launched a project in 2013. The aim of the project was to protect the bird’s natural habitat and its breeding place.
The scientists of Dehradun Wildlife Institute of India (DWII) have come up with a plan to protect the Great Indian Bustard, now available only in Rajasthan. These scientists collected the eggs of this bird and put them in an incubator at a certain temperature. A few chicks were born from those eggs. It means the application was successful. According to the scientists, breeding of these chicks will be done and, after that, they will be released in the forest. The scientists say that the process will continue for 20-25 years to save this lovely creature of nature.
According to ornithologists, if the Great Indian Bustard is not protected now, it will disappear from the country. Similar thing happened to the Cheetah which has ceased to exist in the subcontinent.
MP plans to protect this bird
The Madhya Pradesh government has begun to develop a reserved forest for the Great Indian Bustard in Ghatigaon area, Gwalior district. It is a ten-year project. To breed the Great Indian Bustard, its eggs will be brought from Jaisalmer and hatched in that place. Grass will be planted in Ghatigaon. To protect the bird from wild animals, the area will be fenced with wire; water tanks will be built; and all arrangements will be made for saving this beauteous avion creature.
Chief wildlife warden Alok Kumar says that the state government has been trying to set up habitat for the Great Indian Bustard found in Ghatigaon reserved forest.
Shailendra Srivastava is retired DGP, Madhya Pradesh, and chairman, Citizens for Change Foundation. Views expressed are personal.
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