Bird Stories - 1500 km Ride And A Dead Bustard

1500 km Ride And A Dead Bustard - This blog story takes me back to 2002 and a story that changed my perspective about a lot of things, including life. During the Diwali holidays at our home in Bhopal, I was sorting my stamps and stumbled upon a 1980 Great Indian Bustard stamp. Stamp sorting was an annual Diwali ritual for me then. There was nothing special about the stamp but it was the only stamp that I had from 1980 complete with a first-day cover and a brochure. Not sure why but my dad asked me to show him the brochure and it triggered a conversation. He said he had heard something about this bird but was unable to recall the details. He was sure that there were less than 1000 or so remaining. Both my dad and I read through the brochure and discussed how he used to watch 100s of birds when he was posted in Pachmarhi as a bank officer. 

The conversation created a kind of anxiety and I wanted to see this bird, I wasn't into bird watching by any means at that time. I was busy writing computer programs for clients in the US. 

After the vacation, I was back to work in Delhi and forgot about GIB for about a month until some of my colleagues mentioned their trip to Desert National Park, Jaisalmer. I was an avid motorcycle rider then and immediately planned a ride to Jaisalmer to watch the last of the Godawan and sand dunes. The plan was to start on Wednesday evening and back by Sunday night. I will keep the details of the ride for some other time and will keep my focus on the Bustard. 

After 700 km and almost 24 hours with a couple of 3-hour breaks, we were with Ghamshyam Bishnoi,  the man who was going to take us to the Desert National Park and sand dunes for an evening/night adventure. Ghanshyam was very excited that he had seen 3 Godawans in the last couple of days and was sure we would be able to see some the next morning. I was so tired that I slept like a baby under the arrays of stars in our desert camp. I was woken up by chirping birds and the sounds of camel bells. The excitement was such that for the first time ever I was ready to go at 5:30 AM. After our camel milk tea, we were on our way to the National Park. 

What I am going to write gave me such heartache and will potentially break your heart too. Friday morning we saw a Great Indian Bustard, very early on, but it was dead. Killed by stray dogs, 30 minutes before we arrived near the entrance of the park. The grief and despair I saw in Ghanshyam were overwhelming. I had never seen someone grieve over a wild bird so much, those images are still as fresh as yesterday. Instead of showing us a free Great Indian Bustard, he explained the threats and challenges that this beautiful and elegant bird is facing. He said he would not be surprised if these birds disappeared in his lifetime. I rode back Friday afternoon with a heavy heart. It was 3 days, a 1500 km ride, a dead Bustard, and a sad savior.

Like a lot of us, I was sad for a few days, and then was business as usual. Forgot about Godawan and Ghanshyam. Ghanshyam Bishnoi passed away in 2007 due to an illness but we still have the last few Godawan or GIB or Great Indian Bustard around us. I have never seen a free Great India Bustard and hope I will be able to take my children one day and show it to them.

This is the motivation and sole reason why when Prerna forwarded a post on Twitter about The ERDS foundation trying to raise funds for community support and development to save Great Indian Bustard, I thought I would chip in and try raising funds for them. For me, it will be a tribute to Ghanshyam and others like him who have dedicated their lives to saving amazing birds and their habitat. Let us do it and donate generously - every little help. 

https://gocrowdera.com/GodawanGuardianProgram/

ERDS Foundation is raising INR 605000 (approx. USD 8000 / GBP 6500) for community support and education programs. 

I have personally pledged to donate GBP 200 (~INR 20000) and will be aiming to raise GBP 1000 (~INR 100K) with the help of my friends, family, and fellow birders. Again, please donate and save something precious for future generations. 

https://gocrowdera.com/GodawanGuardianProgram/

If you want to know more or want to get involved, please get in touch with ERDS Foundation - erds.rajasthan@gmail.com 

Sumit Dookia is a scientific advisor to the ERDS Foundation. In case you want to know more about the work or other technical details, please get in touch with him at Sumitdookia@Gmail.Com

Thank You.

Ashutosh Jhureley

@BirdsAroundMe

Notes: 
1. Prerna Singh Bindra has been at the forefront of the battle to conserve India’s wildlife for over a decade. She was a member of India’s National Board for Wildlife and its core Standing Committee (2010-13). She has also served on Uttarakhand’s State Board for Wildlife. Prerna’s primary focus is protecting wildlife habitats and critically endangered species.  She is a widely published author with over 1,500 pieces on nature and wildlife. She also does travelogues and occasional humor pieces. Prerna’s book The Vanishing: India’s Wildlife Crisis published by Penguin India was released in June 2017. 
2. The ERDS Foundation (registered NGO) - Ecology, Rural Development & Sustainability (ERDS), had taken the initiative of developing a team of trained naturalists with the help of the State Forest Department, with an outcome of 25 local trained youths in Desert National Park. The process was the first step towards developing a dialogue with local communities. These volunteers have been working with our foundation from 2015 onwards and constantly keeping a keen eye on the movement and poaching of this bird, one of the heaviest flying birds in the world. 
3. Ashutosh Jhureley, that's me and I am an amateur birdwatcher and blogger, not directly or indirectly related to EDRS Foundation or any financial or other institutions involved.