HYDERABAD: Two wildlife sanctuaries in Andhra Pradesh may have earned officially the dubious distinction of not having the species for whose protection they were set up. The Rollapadu wildlife sanctuary and Lankamalleswara wildlife sanctuary no longer have the Great Indian bustard, and the Jerdon’s courser for whose protection no longer have these birds.While the Great Indian Bustard is listed as a highly endangered species and disappeared from the Rollapadu sanctuary in Kurnool district a few years ago, according to a report by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), the Jerdon’s courser in the Lankamalleswara sanctuary in Kadapa district, is “a critically endangered bird species that was believed extinct until its rediscovery in 1986. Despite no recent sightings, evidence of its presence, such as recorded calls, has been found.” In its Management Effectiveness Evaluation report for 2020-25 for national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, the WII said the Great Indian bustard population in Rollapadu has “declined beyond recovery, posing a significant conservation challenge.” The last report of the bird being sighted in the sanctuary was on March 15, 2022, and it is now likely that Rollapadu, a 9.37 sq km protected area, might well turn into a preserve for the black buck, an antelope, whose growing population in the area, according to the WII report, is “a cause for concern” for local farmers. Though the Great Indian bustard has disappeared from the sanctuary, there are occasional reports of sightings of the lesser florican, a smaller bustard, and also listed as a critically endangered species. As far as the Lankamalleswara sanctuary is concerned, the WII called for a re-assessment of the presence of Jerdon’s courser and if found, explore plans for captive breeding of the bird and its cloning to revive the species. It also said the sanctuary, a protected area 464.42 sq. km also serves as an important part of the regional forest landscape which connects to the Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam tiger reserve to its north, and needs a single unified management command for better protection of the sanctuary which is also home to the rare red sanders trees.
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