Three years on, India’s cheetah reintroduction struggles with poor science, delays, and missed grassland goals. In September 2022, the arrival of eight cheetahs from Namibia to Kuno National Park was hailed as a conservation milestone. Five months later in February 2024, 12 more spotted cats arrived from South Africa. The initiative, branded Project Cheetah, carried lofty ambitions. It aimed not just to restore the world’s fastest land animal to India’s landscapes, but to revive open natural ecosystems (ONEs) — the grasslands, scrublands, and savannahs that are among the country’s most neglected habitats. By reintroducing a top predator, policymakers hoped to spark wider conservation attention, diversify India’s wildlife portfolio beyond tigers and forests, and make ecological amends for a human-caused extinction. The Cheetah Action Plan set out a clear roadmap: import 5–10 cheetahs annually for a decade, create a metapopulation across multiple states, secure and restore grassland hab...
Bhigwan Bird Sanctuary (BBS) has come alive in a riot of colours. Thousands of resident and migratory birds have flocked the backwaters of the Ujani dam built downstream of river Bhima. For years, flamboyance of flamingos has been attracting a large number of tourists . The greater flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus) is the most widespread and largest species of the flamingo family. It is found in Africa, the Indian subcontinent, the Middle East, and in southern Europe. As the birds stand on the pink lanky legs, wildlife photographers click in frenzy to catch the best of the moves made by them. Local guides call flamingo the “tiger” of Bhigwan as most of the people come here especially for this bird.
Charm of B&W : Black Headed Ibis
Vying for the attention of the tourists, there are over 300 species of birds - both residents and migratory- in Bhigwan. Winter beckons birds' migration to the backwaters of the dam as they chirp, cheep , sing, shriek hoot and make all sorts of noise. More birds fly down in November and their numbers go to thousands in December onwards .
There are black headed Ibis, painted storks , osprey, wooly necked stork ,red necked ibis .The list goes on. The black-headed ibis (Threskiornis melanocephalus) is a species of wading bird of the ibis family Threskiornithidae which includes 34 species of large wading birds. The species is a widespread breeding bird in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Myanmar. It is a very versatile bird being able to use a large variety of natural and man-made habitats. Including freshwater and salt-water marshes, lakes and ponds, as also rice fields and even open sewage gutters, ornithologists said.
Eurasian: Born Wih a Golden-tip Spoon
Another beautiful bird from the family of Threskiornithidae is the eurasian or common spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia) , easily identified by its large, spoon-like bill . It is also a wading bird of the ibis and spoonbill family . The breeding bird is all white except for its dark legs, black bill with a yellow tip, and a yellow breast patch like a pelican. It has a crest in the breeding season.
Mesmerising Painted Stork
The painted stork ( Mycteria leucocephala) is recognised by its riot of colours. It is a large wader in the stork family and found in the wetlands of the plains of tropical Asia south of the Himalayas in the Indian subcontinent and extending into Southeast Asia. Their distinctive pink tertial feathers of the adults give them their name.
Bharatpur of Maharashtra
As Bhigwan becomes a hotbed of migratory birds, it is often referred to as the “Bharatpur of Maharashtra”. About 100 kms from the bustling metro of Pune, Bhigwan is at one end of the huge Yashwant Sagar reservoir, forming the backwaters of the Ujani dam. Spread across 357 square kms , the backwater has several designated bird-watching points where one can hire a boat. These can be accessed through the villages of Diksal and Kumbhargaon, both within 10 km of Bhigwan. A boat safari on the backwater is the best way to see the wetland birds.
December to March is when migratory bird numbers peak. However, growing human activities, unchecked cultivation, cattle grazing and mindless tourism activities have also had their effect on the sanctuary. A study says their combined effect increased the stress on the breeding and nesting of River Tern, a local migratory bird that visits Bhigwan annually during the summer months.
The Lord of Sky
Bhigwan also hosts the peregrine falcon, fastest on the planet. With its formidable talons, it is a powerful and fastest predator. Akshay Gaware, a local guide, naturalist and photographer said Bhigwan is bird watchers' paradise . "This is the festival created by nature and we must all work to protect the winged visitors reaching the waters of Bhigwan".
Images Courtesy: Akshay Gaware and Milin Karandikar
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