What happens when a premature baby is born? Hospitals put it in an incubator. Visitors are kindly told, “Please leave.” Nurses check the vitals frequently. Any lapse and their jobs could be on the line.
Gujarat’s forest department is doing something similar but not for a baby. The object of care is a living being in a grassland.
It belongs to one of the most endangered species. And weighs only 150 grams.
This story is about the Great Indian Bustard chick reportedly hatched in the wild in Gujarat on March 26. It’s the first in nearly a decade. And the state is treating it like it might be the last.
It explains why they are so protective about it.
Wildlife officials have given the newborn an unofficial title, Very Very Important Chick, or VVIC. The men and women guarding it around the clock would tell you the designation barely covers it.
Forest personnel work rotating shifts from specially erected watchtowers, equipped with spotting scopes, binoculars, and tripods. Every update goes straight to senior officers in Gandhinagar.
Feral dogs are chased off. Stray cattle kept at a distance. Village roads near the sanctuary are closed. Broken fencing is being fixed on war footing. Even the artificial waterholes nearby have been left dry, so predators have no reason to wander close.
A Conservator of Forests in Kutch told a section of the media that senior officers have not left the site. He said almost the entire department was involved in looking after the chick the way they would a baby in their own home.
The mother bird has not been left unwatched either. She moves within a three-square kilometre patch of grassland, chosen for its cover and food supply.
A tracking tag on her body tells the team everything. Calm movement means all is well. Any erratic behaviour and the response is immediate.
Experts from the Wildlife Institute of India are on the ground, guiding forest staff on how to monitor the chick until it can fly on its own. Officials in the know assured that the department was leaving nothing to chance.
Villagers living nearby have been asked to temporarily adjust cattle grazing routes and stay away from certain areas. Most have obliged.
This chick may be just 150 grams. But its value is far beyond its size.
Also Read: Scientists Eyeing To Increase The Indian Bustard Population https://www.vibesofindia.com/scientists-eyeing-to-increase-the-indian-bustard-population/
