As per the State Forest and Wildlife department’s latest 2018 census (summer), there has been 5.2% increase in population of Sarus Crane in Uttar Pradesh which has 73% of Indian population of Sarus.
Sarus Crane Conservation Project | UPSC – IAS and UPPSC
It has been running across 10 districts of Eastern Uttar Pradesh by Wildlife Trust of India in collaboration with Tata Trusts and the U.P. Forest Department.
It involves local volunteers (called Sarus Mitra or Friends of the Sarus), Tata Trust partner NGOs and Sarus Protection Committees.
About Sarus Crane | UPSC – IAS and UPPSC
The sarus crane (Antigone Antigone) is a large non-migratory crane found in parts of the Indian Subcontinent, Southeast Asia and Australia.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has marked it as ‘vulnerable’ in its list of threatened species.
It generally inhabits natural wetlands with low water depth, marshy and fallow areas and agricultural fields.
It is a social creature, found mostly in pairs or small groups of three or four.
It is the tallest (average 5 feet) flying bird in the world and also India’s only resident breeding crane, as per the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI)
Sarus is omnivorous, feeding on fish and insects, as well as roots and plants.
Threats: Loss of degradation of wetlands, ingestion of pesticides, hunting of adults and collection of eggs and chicks for trade, food, medicinal purposes, habitat lying outside protected areas.
