Jaipur, Oct 21 A six-month-old male Great Indian Bustard (GIB) was killed by a desert fox just four days after it was released into the wild at the Desert National Park in Rajasthan’s Jaisalmer district.
The critically endangered bird was part of the government’s conservation programme through which 11 captive-bred GIBs were planned for release, Wildlife Institute of India (WII) officials said on Wednesday.
Officials asserted that the incident would not affect their conservation programme and added that WII is reviewing all protocols and safety measures for releasing captive-bred birds.
The bird was raised at a breeding centre in Sam and was released into the wild on October 14.
But on October 18, a fox hiding in bushes attacked while the bird was drinking water at a pond in the Sam area, officials said.
WII Director Gobind Sagar Bhardwaj said scientists detected the incident through satellite tracking after the bird’s signal stopped transmitting.
A field team rushed to the location and found feathers and other remains of the bird. The fox had fled by then, he said.
The team recovered the satellite tracking device, while blood samples collected from the spot were sent to a laboratory for examination.
Under the conservation programme, 11 captive-bred Great Indian Bustards were identified for release into the wild.
Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav released two birds on October 4, followed by two more males on October 14. Of the four birds released so far, one has died while the remaining three are safe, officials said.
Bhardwaj said predation was a natural occurrence in the wild and the presence of foxes in the habitat was normal.
Field teams are continuously monitoring the surviving birds, and no final decision has been taken on whether to release the remaining seven bustards, he added.
The Great Indian Bustard, whose scientific name is Ardeotis nigriceps, is a large, ground-dwelling bird native to the Indian subcontinent.
Standing up to 1.2 meters tall and weighing up to 15 kg, it is one of the heaviest flying birds in the world.
The GIB is listed as critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species. Its population is estimated to be 130 (± 21), as per the WII report released on July 9.
The report further noted that its population has remained broadly stable since the previous estimate of 128 (±19) during 2017-18.
It also receives legal protection under Schedule I of India’s Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, and Appendix I of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS).
(PTI News)
