The GIB or Great Indian Bustard was recommended by Dr. Salim Ali to be India’s national bird. Today with its population down to a mere 130, it would have probably been a wise call to have listened to him.

The Great Indian Bustard (GIB) is among the rarest birds in the world and is listed as Critically Endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.

The Government is working in the Desert National Park and in Pokhran where about 75 enclosures have been made (since the 1970s) in 18000 hectares so that the GIB can move and breed freely without the fear of predators (like wild dogs, jackals).

While this is the in-situ conservation, we also have water guzzlers so that the bird can drink water especially in summer. They also have about 50-60 forest field staff who are helped by border home guards for patrolling.

There is also a proposal to have solar lines that the birds collide with underground which is still in progress. The forest department also does ex-situ conservation, with Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Forest Department and Government of India having a tripartite agreement to develop a breeding centre in Ramdevra in Pokhran.

Read the full story that first appeared in Fair Planet here: