Indian Experts Applaud Breakthrough in Conservation Efforts for Large Native Bird

Last month, significant progress was reported for the great Indian bustard, a critically endangered avian species primarily found in India. Wildlife authorities in the western Indian state of Rajasthan successfully achieved the first hatching of a chick through artificial insemination. A single adult male, housed at one of two breeding facilities in Jaisalmer city, was trained to yield sperm without natural mating. This sperm was then utilized to inseminate an adult female located at the second facility, approximately 200km (124 miles) distant. Officials highlighted the importance of this advancement, noting its potential to enable the establishment of a sperm bank. Historically, the great Indian bustard population has been adversely affected by habitat destruction, illegal hunting, and collisions with overhead power lines. Their numbers have drastically declined from over 1,000 in the 1960s to an estimated 150 currently. The majority of these birds reside in Jaisalmer, prompting conservation advocates to call for the protection of their urban habitat. However, this same land is highly sought after by renewable energy companies for development, posing a complex conservation dilemma for authorities. According to Sumit Dookia, a conservation ecologist who has dedicated nearly a decade to studying the great Indian bustard, the bird, though less renowned than India’s national bird, the peacock, is equally impressive. This substantial bird, weighing between 15kg and 18kg, ranks among India’s largest flying birds. While it once flourished across at least 11 states, its current population is largely restricted to Rajasthan, with a small number potentially found in the southern state of Karnataka and the western state of Gujarat. This timid bird contributes significantly to the food chain by preying on rodents, snakes, and other pests. It is also recognized as the state bird of Rajasthan, where local inhabitants refer to it as ‘Godawan’. Nevertheless, certain unique evolutionary characteristics of the bird are proving detrimental in the face of human activities, increasing its susceptibility to extinction. For instance, the great Indian bustard possesses excellent peripheral vision but limited frontal vision, making it challenging for them to detect power lines until they are dangerously close. Their considerable size further impedes their ability to alter their flight path swiftly, often resulting in fatal collisions with cables. “Their vision could have developed like this as the bird spends a large amount of time on land,” Mr Dookia suggests. He further explains that the bird lays its eggs directly on the ground, without a nest or any form of protection beyond the mother’s vigilant watch, which may have contributed to the evolution of its strong side vision. The great Indian bustard also exhibits distinctive reproductive patterns. It lays only one egg at a time and dedicates the subsequent two years to nurturing its chick. Mr Dookia states, “Since it reaches maturity at around four years of age and lives for 12-15 years, it lays just about four-five eggs in its lifetime and many of these eggs are destroyed by predators.” Conservationists report that in recent years, the great Indian bustard’s habitat in Jaisalmer has been encroached upon by solar and wind energy installations, leading to an increase in flight-related accidents. Mr Dookia adds, “The increased human presence has also created more filth, attracting stray dogs who kill the birds or destroy their eggs.” To bolster the bird’s population, the government of Rajasthan partnered with the federal government and the Wildlife Institute of India to establish a conservation breeding center in Sam city in 2018. A second breeding center was subsequently opened in Ramdevra village in 2022, according to Ashish Vyas, a senior forest official in Jaisalmer. Initially, researchers gathered eggs from wild populations and incubated them in specialized centers. He notes, “Currently, there are 45 birds in both the centres,14 of which are captive-bred chicks (including the one born through artificial insemination).” The long-term objective is to further expand the bird’s population before eventually reintroducing them into their natural environment. However, conservationists caution that this goal presents considerable difficulties. Mr Dookia explains that birds raised in these breeding centers develop an imprinting on human researchers, forming strong attachments to their human caregivers, and consequently lose approximately 60-70% of their innate ability to survive in the wild. He elaborates, “Human imprinting is necessary for feeding and handling the birds but it also makes them lose their natural instincts. It will be extremely challenging to re-wild them, especially if there’s no habitat left for the birds to be released into.” Habitat degradation has also led to another issue: researchers have observed a near-complete cessation of migration among birds that previously traversed states. Even within Jaisalmer, where the birds inhabit two distinct areas—Pokhran in the eastern part of the city and the Desert National Park in the west—cross-migration is minimal, as noted by Mr Dookia. He suggests that the birds have likely ceased long-distance migration as a direct consequence of flying accidents. This behavior increases the risk of inbreeding, which could lead to birth defects. “Thus, the only solution to conserve the great Indian bustard is to preserve its natural habitat,” he concludes. However, a Supreme Court judgment issued in April has caused apprehension among conservationists. The court reversed an earlier interim directive that had mandated Rajasthan and Gujarat to prioritize burying power cables underground in great Indian bustard habitats. This prior order had provoked strong opposition from renewable energy companies, who argued it would incur billions of rupees in costs and effectively cripple their operations. In its most recent ruling, the court acknowledged the public’s right to protection from the adverse effects of climate change and stated that relocating extensive sections of power cables underground might not be financially or technically viable for companies. It further instructed the formation of a committee to assess the feasibility of underground power lines and the effectiveness of bird diverters—devices equipped with reflectors attached to cables to warn birds of their presence. While corporate entities have welcomed the apex court’s decision, conservationists and some legal experts view it as problematic, contending that it pits one worthy cause against another. Ecologist Debadityo Sinha, in a column, asserted, “The judgment brings into focus a flawed understanding of the interplay between climate change, biodiversity and development issues.” He highlighted that numerous densely populated Indian cities already have underground power lines and that other states have previously undertaken similar measures to safeguard different bird species. Sinha also pointed out that despite the expense, burying power cables would likely represent only a fraction of a firm’s total earnings. Mr Dookia attributes the influx of renewable energy companies into Rajasthan partly to the low cost of land. He cautions, “There’s also not much research on how these renewable energy farms will impact the state’s climate and ecology in the long run.” He concludes, “So it’s not just the bird’s future that hangs in the balance, it’s also man’s.”