A senior Congress MLA Shaktisinh Gohil today urged the Gujarat government to save the 'Great Indian Bustard' from extinction, as he claimed only 22 such birds were now left in the Kutch sanctuary.
A senior Congress MLA Shaktisinh Gohil today urged the Gujarat government to save the 'Great Indian Bustard' from extinction, as he claimed only 22 such birds were now left in the Kutch sanctuary.
While speaking in the Gujarat Assembly today on the occasion of 'World Forest Day', Gohil, who represents Abdasa seat in Kutch, said that efforts must be stepped up or else the bird will be lost forever.
"Today, only 22 Great Indian Bustards are left in Kutch (where the sanctuary is located), while the remaining are in neighboring Rajasthan. They are on the verge of extinction, mainly because the female lays only one egg in one year," said the former cabinet minister.
"If we do not act now, they will be lost forever and we will just left congratulating each other," said Gohil in an apparent jibe at state Forest Minister Ganpat Vasava, who had congratulated the House members on the occasion of World Forest Day in his opening remark.
While responding to a written question raised by Gohil on March 7 during Question Hour of the Assembly, Vasava admitted in his written reply that as per the last census conducted in 2016, the Kutch Bustard Sanctuary in Abdasa is home to 25 Great Indian Bustards.
Responding to another query about the reasons of dwindling numbers of the endangered bird, Vasava stated that low egg laying average along with poor genetic diversity and human activity in their habitat outside the protected area are responsible for the decrease in population.
According to the official website of Gujarat Forest Department, Great Indian Bustard is a 'Critically Endangered' bird species which is on the verge of extinction.
The website further said that as per the 2007 census, there were 48 Great Indian Bustards in Gujarat.
(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)
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