Gujarat: Nine lesser florican chicks hatched in Velavadar National Park

RAJKOT: In a big boost to the conservation of the endangered lesser florican, the

forest department

has successfully hatched nine chicks in the last one year by artificially incubating the salvaged eggs in

Velavadar

National Park.


The national park is a sprawling grassland and an ideal habitat for lesser florican, a bustard family bird, which lays eggs here during monsoon, particularly August. This increases the chances of eggs getting destroyed due to water ingress or eaten by some animals.

Officials said three eggs were hatched last year and six this season and all chicks are healthy.

The population of lesser florican in the country is 300-500 of which only 100 are in

Gujarat

.

The forest department collected some eggs and artificially incubated them.

A senior officer said, “We gathered all information about artificial incubation, the ideal temperature required and days taken for hatching.

While nine chicks have been born in a year, another six eggs were saved this monsoon. All birds in an open enclosure inside the national park.:

The chicks will be kept in captivity till they mature and they will be artificially fed.

“These chicks take three to four years to become sexually mature. We will study their genes and if we find male and female partners for them, we will try breeding them naturally in their enclosure. If this is not possible, we will use assisted reproductive technology and try to produce chicks in the laboratory,” said the official.

The forest department took the cue from houbara bustard conservation in the

UAE

to replicate a similar programme for lesser floricans in Gujarat.

DT

Vasavada

, chief conservator of forest (wildlife) said, “We are now planning a special centre at Velavadar for conservation of lesser florican to hatch salvaged eggs artificially. We will release the second or third generation into the wild.”


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