Another sarus crane dies in Dhanauri wetlands, third fatality in a week
On December 25, a five-month-old sarus crane was found dead and another found unconscious at the Dhanauri wetlands. While the sarus crane which was alive was given due treatment, it died later in the hospital, taking the death toll to two
An adult sarus crane was found dead at Dhanauri wetlands in Gautam Budh Nagar on Wednesday evening, five days after a bird of the same breed was found dead and another found unconscious on December 25.
Dhanauri wetland is a major habitat for sarus crane in Dankaur, Gautam Buddh Nagar. Sarus crane is a vulnerable species listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
District forest officer P K Srivastava said, “We received a call from a local who found the body of the adult sarus crane at Dhanauri on Wednesday evening. Forest rangers took the bird to the veterinary hospital in Dankaur, where it was declared dead on arrival. A post mortem of the bird is being conducted to find out the cause of death.”
On December 25, a five-month-old sarus crane was found dead and another found unconscious at the Dhanauri wetlands. While the sarus crane which was alive was given due treatment, it died later in the hospital, taking the death toll to two.
“Their post-mortem reports revealed Salmonella infection (bacterial infection) as the cause of death. The chicks found dead showed symptoms of puffed feathers, swollen eyelids and lethargy. The adult sarus found dead on Wednesday could be their parent. More details will be clear once all the post-mortem reports are available, after which the forest department will take necessary action,” said Srivastava.
Anand Arya, a Noida-based birder who was among the first ones to have found the wetland in 2014 and initiated the legal battle for its recognition, said the wetland needs immediate conservation.
“The death of the birds is very alarming and hints to food poisoning or pesticide poisoning. If the site had been recognised as a Ramsar site, the wetland would have been more protected and such incidents could have been avoided,” said Arya. Ramsar sites are the wetlands of international importance.
He added, “The forest department is yet to submit an application proposing Dhanauri as a Ramsar site and it has been delayed by over seven years. So far, they did not even submit the detailed study to the Ramsar secretariat to make a case for it.”
To this, Srivastava said, “Applying for Ramsar Site recognition is a lengthy process and requires a lot of paperwork as well as ground work. The forest department is working on the same and status of the proposal will be shared soon”.
The official count of sarus crane at the 101-hectare Dhanauri wetland is 120. The sarus crane has also been recognised as the state bird of Uttar Pradesh.
Other than Dhanauri, the sarus cranes are found in various small fields and marshes of the district , such as like Khodna Khurd, Ishapur, Dhanauri, Rawani Bujurg, Parsaul and Nagla Bhatona.