INDIA: WINGED SIBERIAN AMBASSADORS FAIL TO KEEP ANNUAL TRYST

By Neena Bhandari Reprint | | Print |

NEENA BHANDARI

KEOLADEO, INDIA, Mar 11 1995 (IPS) - AS THE FIRST RAYS OF THE SUN LIGHTEN THE EASTERN HORIZON IN THE PRE-DAWN HOURS, VISITORS BEGIN TROOPING INTO THE KEOLADEO NATIONAL PARK IN WESTERN INDIA TO VIEW SOME OF THE 369 SPECIES OF MIGRATORY AND RESIDENT BIRDS.

BUT THE BEAUTIFUL, TALL AND ELEGANT GUEST THAT MOST OF THE PARK’S 100,000 INDIAN AND 25,000 FOREIGN VISITORS ANNUALLY COME TO SEE HAS DECIDED TO GIVE THE 29 SQ KMS SANCTUARY A MISS FOR THE SECOND YEAR IN RUNNING.

THE “GUS LEUCOGERANUS” OR SIBERIAN CRANES, WHICH REGULARLY MIGRATED TO INDIA EVERY WINTER HAVE CEASED TO KEEP THEIR DATE WITH THE LUSH, GREEN PARK.

“IN THE 1960S, THEY USED TO VISIT INDIA IN LARGE NUMBERS, NEARING 100, BUT FOR THE PAST TWO YEARS, WE HAVE WAITED IN VAIN FOR THESE WINGED AMBASSADORS,” SAYS DEPUTY CHIEF WILDLIFE WARDEN A S BRAR.

AMONG THE REASONS ATTRIBUTED FOR THEIR NON-APPEARANCE IS THE ARDUOUS MIGRATORY JOURNEY, HIGH MORTALITY RATES AMONG CHICKS, HUNTING ON THE MIGRATORY ROUTE AND LOW BREEDING RATES. WILDLIFE EXPERTS SAY THE BIRD HAS COME UNDER TREMENDOUS PRESSURE OVER RECENT YEARS, MAKING ITS NUMBERS DWINDLE TO NEAR EXTINCTION.

ALARMED, THE GOVERNMENT OF RUSSIA, THE U.S.-BASED INTERNATIONAL CRANE FOUNDATION AND THE WILDBIRD SOCIETY OF JAPAN HAVE COME TOGETHER TO SAVE THE SPECIES.

THEY AIM TO RELEASE CAPTIVE BRED SIBERIAN CHICKS INTO THE WILD, TRACK THE MIGRATORY ROUTE OF COMMON CRANES AND STUDY THE POSSIBILITY OF BUILDING A RESIDENT POPULATION IN KEOLADEO.

“AS THE BREEDING GROUND IN SIBERIA WAS A VAST STRETCH OF LAND AND THE WILD FLOCKS WERE DISTRIBUTED IN A WIDER AREA, THE KEOLADEO NATIONAL PARK WAS FOUND TO BE A BETTER SITE FOR EXPERIMENT,” SAYS BRAR.

HE SAYS THAT AT KEOLADEO THE BIRDS WERE LESS SHY, REMAINED IN ONE OR TWO BLOCKS THROUGH THE WINTERING PERIOD AND COULD BE OBSERVED CONTINUOUSLY. THE PARK WAS ALSO IDEAL FOR INTEGRATING CHICKS WITH WILD FLOCK.

“PAST EXPERIENCE SHOWS THAT HAND-REARED BIRDS GENERALLY PROVED UNSUITABLE FOR REINTRODUCTION…HOWEVER, ISOLATION OR COSTUME REARING HAS BEEN SUCCESSFULLY USED TO REAR CRANE CHICKS THAT SUBSEQUENTLY INTEGRATED WITH THE WILD CRANES,” SAYS BRAR.

THE FIRST EXPERIMENTS IN CAPTIVE REARING BEGAN IN 1991 BY THE INTERNATIONAL CRANE FOUNDATION (ICF). IN 1992, FERTILE SIBERIAN CRANE EGGS FLOWN IN BY THE ICF FROM THE UNITED STATES AND HATCHED IN RUSSIA PRODUCED FOUR CHICKS, THREE OF WHICH INTEGRATED SUCCESSFULLY WITH THE WILD FLOCK.