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Pune: A bustard raised in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been rescued in Maharashtra’s coastal Sindhudurg district, officials said on Saturday.
They said the bird was in good health and would be released in the deserts of Rajasthan or Gujarat, the birds’ winter habitat.
“A farmer in Mundage village, Devgad tehsil, spotted an exotic bird with a ring on its leg on Thursday night and notified forest officials. We went there and put it in safekeeping,” local Range Forest official Rajendra Ghunakikar said.
He added that the bird is currently housed in a facility in Kancavalli in the area and is in good health.
Sujit Narawade, assistant director and coordinator of the Natural History Society of Mumbai and coordinator of conservation projects for the Great Indian Bustard and Little Florida, said some agencies in the UAE have kept the birds in captivity and released them in large numbers as part of conservation efforts.
“These birds usually migrate every winter from the Middle East to the Thar and Kutch deserts. Sometimes one or two birds stray from the flock and fly to the coastal areas of Konkan,” he said.
“The houbara bustard found in Sindhudurg has a ring and ribbon that provides information about its origin. When we contacted the National Bird Resource Centre in Abu Dhabi, they confirmed that the bird was from a flock they released,” Narawade Say.
They also suggested that it should be released in the desert areas of Gujarat or Rajasthan, he said.
Forest Conservation Deputy Commissioner S Navakishore Reddy told PTI that they are in talks with forest officials in both states and will soon decide where the release should be.
(Apart from the title, this story was not edited by Siasat staff, but was posted from a syndicated feed.)
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