Many bird lovers in the city have welcomed the decision of the state government to set up a Great Indian Bustard (GIB) conservation and breeding Centre in Maharashtra. They claim that it will go a long way in conserving and preserving this bird which is fast moving towards extinction. A few years back only one GIB was spotted in Ambazari.
The National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) in Delhi has asked the Maharashtra, Gujarat and Karnataka states to prepare a proposal for setting up such centres in their states. The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) will help the states to build these centres.
Avinash Londhe, a bird researcher and enthusiast in conversation with The Live Nagpur said that “Breeding centres are definitely welcomed in Maharashtra, but it is relatively late compared to the current status of the endangered species. The Great Indian Bustard pair lays one egg per year which needs to be fertilised which is quite difficult. The habitats of the GIB need to be conserved first.”
Dr Anil Pimpalapure from the city who has been working for many years on studying GIB told The Live Nagpur that “conservation of the species is very important. It is very important to pay attention towards the conservation of the habitat for the bird such as grassland and Bustard habitat. I strongly feel there should be two centres in Maharashtra, one specifically for the Vidarbha region. Some measures are needed to be taken to save the habitat in Vidarbha and total Maharashtra.”
