Just 150 left, glimmer of hope for great Indian bustard after first-ever artificial insemination birth in Jaisalmer

Just 150 left, glimmer of hope for great Indian bustard after first-ever artificial insemination birth in Jaisalmer

Sub : Env

Sec: Species in news

Context:

• A Great Indian Bustard (GIB) chick was born on October 16 at the Sudasari Great Indian Bustard Breeding Centre in Rajasthan, marking the first successful use of artificial insemination for this critically endangered species.
• Authorities view this as a crucial advancement in GIB conservation efforts.
• Conservation Background and Efforts:
  • The GIB, found only in India and primarily in Rajasthan, has a population of fewer than 150 birds.
  • Conservation efforts include a captive breeding program led by the Centre, the Rajasthan government, and the Wildlife Institute of India (WII).
  • A team from WII learned artificial insemination techniques in Abu Dhabi, where similar methods are used for the houbara bustard.
• Legal and Environmental Challenges:
  • In 2021, the Supreme Court ordered that power lines in GIB habitats be buried underground.
  • However, this order was reviewed in 2023 due to logistical challenges in implementing it over long distances.
• Future of the Captive Breeding Project:
  • Experts caution that while artificial insemination is a positive development, its impact on GIB population recovery will take time.
  • GIB’s Unique Breeding Challenges:
    • Each GIB lays just one egg annually, which is roughly the size of three chicken eggs.
    • Eggs are laid on ground nests, making them vulnerable to predators.
    • It takes two years to raise a chick before laying another egg.

What is the Great Indian Bustard?

• One of the heaviest flying birds endemic to the Indian subcontinent.
• State Bird of Rajasthan.

Habitat: 

• Untamed, Arid grasslands.
• Among the heaviest birds with flight, GIBs prefer grasslands as their habitats
• A Maximum number of GIBs were found in Jaisalmer and the Indian Army-controlled field firing range near Pokhran, Rajasthan.
• Other areas: Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

Population:

• As per the studies conducted by the Wildlife Institute of India, there are around 150 Great Indian Bustards left across the country which includes about 128 birds in Rajasthan and less than 10 birds each in the States of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.
• While the GIBs’ historic range included much of the Indian sub-continent, it has now shrunk to just 10 per cent of that.

Protection Status:

• IUCN Status: Critically Endangered.
• Listed in Wildlife Protection Act’s Schedule 1.

Threats to the GIB:

• The population has declined due to:
  • Increased human activity in their habitats.
  • Predation on eggs by other animals.
  • Deaths from collisions with overhead power lines.
• A 2020 study by WII estimated that power lines in and around the 4,200-sq-km Desert National Park kill approximately 84,000 birds annually, including the GIB.

Significance of GIBs in the ecosystem-

• Terrestrial birds spend most of their time on the ground, feeding on insects, lizards, grass seeds, etc. GIBs are considered the flagship bird species of grassland and hence barometers of the health of grassland ecosystems.

Why is the Great Indian Bustard endangered?

• Among the biggest threats to the GIBs are overhead power transmission lines.
• Due to their poor frontal vision, the birds can’t spot the power lines from a distance, and are too heavy to change course when close. Thus, they collide with the cables and die.
• According to the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), in Rajasthan, 18 GIBs die every year after colliding with overhead power lines.

Source: IE