Sarus crane population soars 20% in 10 years in Gujarat

VADODARA: Sarus, it seems, has chosen to make Gujarat an ideal abode for itself. For, a census conducted on the world’s tallest flying bird in the state has revealed that its population may have gone up by about 20 per cent in a decade. Experts welcome the heartening news as the increase in population is despite dwindling wetlands and rapid urbanisation in the state.
“In the two-day census that concluded on Sunday, we found out that the number of Sarus cranes have increased in the state. The last Sarus census was conducted by GEER Foundation in 2010 when the average count was 1,500. The census we conducted shows the average population may be anywhere between 1,700 and 1,800,” said Dr Bakul Trivedi, secretary, Bird Conservation Society, Gujarat that conducted the census.

“Sarus cranes usually stay in and around wetlands that are either getting encroached or fast disappearing. Despite their natural abodes reducing over the last few years, Sarus cranes have increased in numbers and it is an encouraging revelation for bird lovers,” Trivedi told TOI.
The census conducted on May 15 and 16 revealed that about 80 per cent of the Sarus cranes were found in Ahmedabad, Anand and Kheda, while the others were spotted in Vadodara, Dahod, Navsari, Surat, Kutch and Saurashtra. “Summer count is important as Sarus usually congregate at wetlands during the day time and it becomes easy to spot them thereby giving better estimation of their numbers,” said Dr Anika Tere, principal investigator in the census.