Bharatpur takes wings as number of ‘residents’ rises

The number,up from a 2005 census that showed 17,081 migratory birds,had dropped drastically in the past couple of years due to inadequate rain. But the sanctuary received more than 250 million cubic feet water in the last monsoon.

Anoop K R,director and chief wildlife warden of Bharatpur bird sanctuary,said as water in the park is rich in nutritive materials such as fish,plankton and snails among others,it is good for different species of wetland birds. The situation is considered ideal for migratory birds. “After the 2005 census counted 17,081 migratory birds,the number fell drastically as the sanctuary witnessed water scarcity.” But this year’s count,he said,gives a boost again.

“Compared to terrestrial birds,Bharatpur specialises in wetland birds,Anoop said,“and the census count categorised these species into 15 broad categories: like pelicans,cranes,stork,ibis,spoon bills,kingfishers,ploughers and sandpipers.”

Doing the groundwork
Former sanctuary director Rajesh Gupta said park officials also took care to remove prosophis plants. “This plant affects the groundwater table by converting wetlands into woody,marshy lands. The sanctuary management took help of the villagers to get rid of the growth and are keeping a check now.”

He said the authorities are also planning to introduce solar-powered cycle rickshaws,and replace the manual rickshaws,pedalled by villagers living around the sanctuary. The park has more than 120 such rickshaws; these villagers also act as guides for tourists.

Also,in the pipeline is the plan to build underground lines to draw water from the nearby Govardhan drain to tackle water shortage,Anoop said.

The sole water source for the sanctuary at present is the Ajan bandh (dam). “The Planning Commission has allocated Rs 65 crore as funds to lay the underground lines and the Irrigation department has already been granted Rs 20 crore out of this fund,” Anoop said. “We hope to have the system functional by next season.”

An earlier attempt to dig shallow and deep borewells did not prove beneficial as birds prefer flowing water.

Anoop said another plan is to remove all stray cattle from the sanctuary to nearby shelters. “They are not part of the ecosystem and there is always the threat of these cattle carrying diseases in and out of the sanctuary,” he said.

The concern
Gupta said the sanctuary has not seen any Siberian Cranes since 2002. “The last we saw were just four cranes. Poaching has affected the numbers of this endangered species,” he said.

While the number of visitors has gone up appreciably (see box for break-up),hotel bookings have seen up to 50 per cent cancellations in the past three or four months,primarily due to the economic slowdown and the Mumbai attacks last November 26.

Hari L Bairwar,manger (front office) at Bharatpur Ashoka Hotel said: “We have seen a drastic reduction in the number of bookings. The overall cancellations have been around 50 per cent,and some 90 per cent of bookings done by American and Japanese tourists have been cancelled in the last two months.

“We have had to return the booking amounts in several cases.”