BALLARI: With just two individuals of Great Indian Bustard birds being sighted in the last six months in Ballari district, the state forest department is planning some urgent measures to safeguard the last remaining population of these majestic birds.
Around 14 sqkm of land in Siruguppa taluk of Ballari district, which has been declared the GIB sanctuary, now serves as the last remaining habitat of these birds in Karnataka. Six months ago, there were six birds in Siruguppa and today, there are just two.
Desperate measures planned by the forest department include GPS-tagging of the birds, artificial hatching of eggs, introducing young birds to the forest, involving local communities and setting up a research centre in Siruguppa.
The Ballari division of the forest department has requested the state government to allow GPS tagging of the two individuals (one male and one female) sighted in Siruguppa and surroundings. The forest division has already set up CCTV cameras to constantly monitor the movement of the birds a long the Karnataka-Andhra Pradesh border.
Less than 200 GIBs in the wild today
“Today, less than 200 GIBs exist in the wild in India. While the majority of them are breeding in Rajasthan, few individuals can be sighted in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Karnataka has the least number of birds. Till two decades ago, they were found in five districts of Karnataka. But now they are restricted just to Siruguppa.
Six months ago, we had counted six birds. It’s possible that the remaining four could have migrated to Andhra Pradesh. It’s important to monitor their flight preferences and habitats in Siruguppa. We have requested the government to give permission to GPS-tag these birds,” said a senior forest official.
The state government has agreed to release Rs 24 crore for GIB conservation. Of that, Rs 6 crore has been allocated in the first phase under the District Mineral Funds and Kalyana Karnataka Regional Development Funds to take up the construction of GIB Research Centre in Siruguppa and conduct experiments like GPS tagging and artificial breeding of GIBs.
An expert team led by Ballari Deputy Conservator of Forests Sandip Suryavanshi visited the Desert National Park in Rajasthan recently to study the possibility of saving the last batch of GIBs in Karnataka. Experts from Dehradun are expected to work closely with the Karnataka forest department.
“We have involved the local communities, farmers and schoolchildren in Ballari district to bring about awareness. Our constant efforts have brought down poaching of these birds,” he added.