Book sensitises people to bird’s decline, its loss of habitat.

Aiming to protect not only large animals but also the Great Indian Bustard (GIB), a critically endangered bird, Mumbai-based NGO Corbett Foundation has come up with a coffee-table book dedicated to spreading awareness on them. Only 250 GIB survive in their habitats across India.

The book has been published by The Corbett Foundation and authored by Dr Asad Rahmani, ornithologist, and co-authored by Devesh Gadhavi and Kedar Gore. “The book aspires to make people aware of the critically endangered bird and how to save and protect them,” said Mr Gore, also a co-founder of the NGO.

Sunil Limaye, Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF), Pune, and in-charge of the GIB sanctuary in Solapur, said, “This is one-of-its-kind book which will make people aware about the bird. There is no book even on saving tigers. The only one available is about radio collaring the big cats.”

Written in a lucid language, the coffee-table book captures the life history of the GIB. The images of the bird in the book are captured by some of the famous conservation photographers of country. “The reason for this bird’s decline is the habitat loss due to several anthropogenic and developmental pressures,” Mr Gore said

The book was released by Aban Marker Kabraji, regional director and the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources during the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Hawaii, USA.