Gujarat losing its sarus population8217;

8220;Industrial development not only encroaches upon the Sarus habitats as seen at Sanand-Viramgam highway and Sarkhej-Bagodara highway, but also causes deterioration ofits habitat through pollution.8221; Also, the birds meet an untimely death by getting trapped in the criss-cross of power transmission lines. 8220;It8217;s a heavy bird, and so flies low. That8217;s why it often gets entangled in the wires. At least three such cranes were found trapped in electricity wires during our study,8221; explains Singh.

Expansion of agricultural land is another reason for the loss of Sarus8217; habitat. Says a member of Prakriti, an Ahmedabad-based NGO that monitors the birds8217; nests in Ahmedabad district, 8220;More and more wetland is coming under cultivation. And agriculture being a source of income, the farmers aren8217;t friendly to the sarus anymore.8221;